TRAFFIC FORECAST
The most congested roads to avoid this Easter weekend – and the weather forecast for your trip
Motorists are being encouraged to avoid these traffic hotspots where possible, and alter their route to ensure a stress-free road trip
LONG weekend traffic is inevitable for any driver looking to hit the road over the break.
But some parts of the UK are expected to see much more congestion than others, with motorists encouraged to avoid certain hotspots where possible.
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Figures from the predict a whopping 12million leisure car journeys from Friday to Monday, with tomorrow being the most chaotic day on British roads.
The traffic experts have identified the regions around the country with the longest expected delays, which could see drivers adding on an extra hour to their journey.
If possible, you should try to alter your journey to avoid the busiest stretches of road.
Weekend traffic is expected to peak just after midday tomorrow, with the longest delays in the country focused around the M62 in the North West.
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Drivers heading west between junction 27 and 18 can expect delays of almost an hour.
Motorists travelling north on the A64 and M6 will also hit slow-moving traffic, adding at least 30 minutes to their journey time.
The M25 is expected to see delays scattered across the weekend in both directions, particularly as Londoners head home on Monday afternoon.
And congestion on Saturday will be at its heaviest in the South West on the A303, while Sunday will also see delays around the London Orbital.
Dan Croft, Incident Group Operations Manager at INRIX, said: “Drivers in the UK are all too familiar with traffic jams.
"In fact, the average UK driver lost more than 170 hours to congestion last year. During peak hours over Easter, journeys could take UK drivers three times longer than usual.
"We are predicting Good Friday will be the worst for traffic from late morning into the afternoon.
"For drivers looking to avoid the worst congestion, the best options are to travel on Saturday, set off early in the morning and keep updated with real-time traffic data.”
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And while the traffic may put a slight dampener on the weekend, the weather promises to brighten things up.
Warm, dry weather has been forecast for much of the country, with temperatures expected to exceed 20 degrees C in the south.
Martin Young, Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “After what’s been a rather cold month so far, temperatures are going to rise this week with plenty of warm, dry and sunny weather to start off the Easter weekend.
"It’ll be very warm for the time of year in many parts of the UK on Friday and Saturday, with many places in the south seeing temperatures above 20 Celsius.
"Things will probably turn more unsettled later in the long weekend, with cooler weather starting to arrive on Sunday from the northwest.”
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Melanie Clarke, Highways England’s customer service director, said: “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Easter and that’s why we’re keeping around 99 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.
“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”
We previously revealed the best and worst times to travel on British roads this Easter weekend.