Drivers hitting the roads near Glastonbury have been urged to plan ahead as the festival returns later this week.
The event kicks off on Wednesday (June 21) as gates open for ticket holders. The major acts will be taking to the stage between Friday and Sunday, with Guns N' Roses and Elton John headlining the Pyramid Stage this year. Around 200,000 are expected to attend, with Scousers Jamie Webster and Stone also set to perform.
With huge numbers descending to Worthy Farm, National Highways has issued a warning to motorists planning on travelling to Glastonbury over the next few days. Festival goers have been told to expect "very busy" roads between Wednesday and Friday and to plan ahead with warm weather forecasted.
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Local roads are also expected to be busy the day after Glastonbury finishes. John Ingram, National Highways’ emergency planner for the South West, said: “We’re reminding road users to plan ahead for Glastonbury – around 200,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival and roads leading to the event are likely to be very busy. Our aim is to keep the National Highways network running while keeping festival goers and other road users safe and informed.”
He added: “We advise people to check our traffic and travel information channels, but whatever your journey, we advise people to set off early and allow plenty of time. And with temperatures expected to remain warm through the week, we’d also advise pre-checking your vehicles for oil, fuel and coolant levels and correctly inflated tyres, also to ensure you have plenty of drinking water for yourselves and passengers to stay hydrated, and take regular breaks.”
National Highways expects the peak of the busy traffic to be on Wednesday as people head to Worthy Farm. It is anticipated that traffic will be especially busy around junctions 25 and 23 of the M5 along with long queues expected on the A39.
A statement from National Highways said: “The primary motorway route for festival traffic to the site is the M5, with drivers exiting at junction 23 to take the A39 and A361, while the A303-A37 is also used for traffic arriving from London, with the A303 eastbound expected to be particularly busy from Podimore Roundabout.
“Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available from the web at www.trafficengland.com or (when not driving) from a phone or mobile device at m.highways.gov.uk. Information is also available via local radio updates and also on Twitter at @HighwaysSWEST."
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