Holiday drivers face 900 miles of M-way works

Holidaymakers seeking to travel around England next month will have to cope with more than 900 miles of roadworks on the motorway network, it emerged tonight.

More than 300 miles of motorway will be undergoing maintenance in the North West alone and 288 miles of the network in the West Midlands will also be affected.

In total, some 340 roadworks schemes are planned on the motorway network in England, transport minister Chris Mole told MPs.

In a Commons written reply to Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker, Mr Mole was unable to say how long the roadworks would last.

"The number of days on which traffic flow is likely to be affected varies considerably according to the type of road works being undertaken in each region," he said.

The three regions worst hit by roadworks are the North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the North East.

In the North West, 303.1 miles of motorway will be affected as part of 190 schemes taking place next month.

The West Midlands will have 52 roadworks schemes affecting 288 miles of the network.

There are 69 projects planned in Yorkshire and the North East on 209.3 miles of roads.