Long traffic jams expected as millions of drivers hit road on busiest day of bank holiday

Good weather forecast and bank holiday creates 'perfect storm'

Tailbacks are expected on many roads (PA)

Around 10 million vehicles are expected on roads across the UK on Saturday as part of the busiest single day for motorists of the bank holiday weekend.

Disruption on train services and good weather forecast over the August Bank holiday are likely to contribute to a “perfect storm”, analysts say, with 13 million on the roads over the course of the long weekend.

Gridlocks are likely are the M25, M4, M6 and M27.

Visit England, the national tourism agency said over five million people will go on a holiday over the weekend. Those staying within the UK for their break will generate £1.3 billion for the economy.

Around 440,000 are expected to travel through Heathrow and another 311,000 via Gatwick over the long weekend.

Music festivals Reading and Leeds and Creamfields, in Cheshire, are expected to make the traffic worse.

Almost 98 per cent of England's major roads and motorways will be clear of roadworks, after 373 miles of roadworks were suspended or finished in anticipation of the busy weekend.

But 1,000 engineering works on the rail network mean fewer can travel by train - so more people are likely to hit the road.

Max Holdstock, from the AA said the August bank holiday "was always a bit of a mad scramble".

"Routes to the South-west and the coast are usually among the busiest," he added.

Greg Hallsworth, a traffic analyst, told the Telegraph: "This bank holiday could see the worst congestion in recent years.

"A perfect storm of conditions will lead to increased traffic as carmageddon blights the long weekend.

"With some uncharacteristically good weather forecast and potential rail disruption, holiday makers could find roads gridlocked far more than usual.

"We have already seen delays of up to 90 minutes during the bank holidays earlier this year but we could see delays of more than 120 minutes for some of the worst affected roads this weekend."

Travel company National Express has said the August bank holiday will be its busiest weekend of the year.

Yet the weather may not be as fine as initially anticipated, with heavy rain predicted in some areas.