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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Daniel Keane

Bank holiday travel: Drivers warned they face 'meltdown' as millions travel home

Britons could face travel chaos as millions of drivers journey home at the end of the bank holiday weekend, the RAC has warned.

The RAC said that around 13 million people will journey home from weekends away on Monday.

It urged drivers to travel in the early morning or mid-evening to avoid the worst queues.

The M25, M3 to the south coast and the M5 in north Devon are expected to be experience the greatest disruption.

Simon Williams, an RAC spokesperson said: “It could be a Monday meltdown on the roads. More sunshine will mean a surge of daytrippers, the same day that many people come home from short breaks. It could be a nightmare day to travel.

“As soon as the sunshine comes out and temperatures shoot up, so will the traffic. Aim to finish your journey by 10am, or start after 7pm, if you want to avoid the worst jams.”

The RAC had previously estimated that 19.2 million people would travel on the Bank Holiday.

This is the highest since the motoring services company began recording data for the summer bank holiday in 2015.

Rail passengers could also face disruption, with a reduced service operating by train companies on the West Coast Main Line.

National Rail added that “longer distance journeys, and local travel plans, may also be affected by work taking place in the Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield area”.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said drivers should arrive more than two hours before they are set to sail.

He said: "Travellers going through the port this summer may notice the works underway to prepare for the introduction of the EU’s new Entry / Exit system, due to go live in November."

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