Drivers warned of Platinum Jubilee traffic delays

Millions of drivers planning getaways over the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday are being warned to expect delays.

The RAC estimated there will be 19.5 million road trips between Wednesday and Sunday with queues on main routes.

It said Friday was likely to be busiest when day-trippers meet families returning home from half-term breaks.

The warning comes after days of long queues at the Port of Dover, and London's St Pancras station - home to Eurostar services.

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: "The fact the bank holidays coincide with the end of half-term in many places has the potential to put some extra pressure on the road network."

But he added "many appear keen to keep their car journeys short, perhaps mixing a daytrip or two with a Jubilee celebration at home".

The RAC's survey of 1,460 drivers' travel plans identified some potential congestion hotspots.

One is the M25 anticlockwise from Junction 17 at Maple Cross Interchange, Hertfordshire to Junction 12 at Thorpe Interchange, Surrey.

Another is the A303 running past Stonehenge, Wiltshire, which is a popular route for holidaymakers travelling towards the South West.

Traffic information supplier Inrix advised drivers to set off either before 06:00 or after 15:00 BST to avoid the worst of the hold-ups.

In a separate RAC poll, 37% of people said they will not be driving long distances over the weekend. Of those people, 11% said this was because of high fuel prices.

Network Rail normally carries out widespread engineering work during bank holidays, but nearly all major lines will remain open during the Jubilee celebrations.

Chief executive Andrew Haines said: "We know that demand will be high as people travel into the capital to celebrate this special occasion and our station staff will be on hand to welcome passengers and help them with their journeys."

Meanwhile, UK airports will also be busy with more than 10,000 flights departing between Thursday and Sunday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

That is a three-fold increase on the same period last year, when the UK's coronavirus travel restrictions remained in place.

A shortage of ground staff like baggage handlers is said to be adding to the problems at UK airports. But airports stress the hiring of ground crews is the responsibility of airlines themselves.

It comes as some ferry passengers at Dover told the BBC they had been stuck in traffic queues "for hours" on Sunday due to a lack of open French border control booths.