Easter traffic chaos warning as RAC issues bank holiday weekend warning

The RAC has warned that the Easter bank holiday weekend will see 'extremely high levels of traffic from Thursday onwards',

Estel Farell Roig Content Editor, Katie Westwood and Andy Lines

09:39, 14 Apr 2025Updated 09:39, 14 Apr 2025

LOCKING, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 25: Vehicles queue in a traffic jam as rain on the M5 motorway on October 25, 2024 near Locking, England. Last week Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka expressed concern that the recent drop in demand for electric vehicles across the EU will make it increasingly difficult for carmakers to meet. The M5 motorway, which links the southwest of England to the Midlands is a major transport link for the region. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

(Image: Anna Barclay, Getty Images)

Motorists are set to face numerous traffic jams over the bank holiday, as it coincides with the end of many children's Easter break. The RAC has warned that traffic will be equally heavy on Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday, with an estimated 2.7 million leisure journeys by car each day.

Over 19 million holiday trips are planned between Thursday and Easter Monday. Alice Simpson from the RAC urged drivers to brace themselves for extremely high levels of traffic from Thursday onwards.

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She stated: "The late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter holidays for many schools which we think will change this year's getaway.

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"We anticipate more day trips and weekend breaks. This could lead to a hat trick of hold-ups on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Drivers shouldn't expect to escape the queues if they don't plan the best time to set off. It's best to travel as early as possible or later in the day."

Transport analytics firm Inrix has predicted delays of over an hour on a 35-mile stretch of the M25 from Junction 7 to Junction 16 on Thursday. The M6 north of Chester and the M25 clockwise towards Godstone are expected to be particular trouble spots, reports the Mirror.

Vehicles queue in a traffic jam as rain on a motorway in a stock image

(Image: Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

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On Good Friday, the longest delays are anticipated to occur between 11am and 1pm. Motorists using two popular routes to the South West - the A303 in Wiltshire and the M5 southbound from Bristol - are being cautioned about potential long queues.

Dover is bracing for approximately 5,500 cars to set sail on outbound ferry journeys between 6am and 1pm on Good Friday. Motorists heading to the Kent port are being advised to stick to main routes only and to arrive no more than two hours before their scheduled departure.

Operation Brock, the system that manages traffic flow on the M20, will be in operation in Kent until April 22. Its purpose is to regulate traffic on the M20 motorway, directing lorries bound for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel into a designated lane.

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Network Rail has planned engineering works at various locations this weekend, which will disrupt several routes. The most significant disruption will occur at London Euston, where there will be no services to or from Milton Keynes on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced schedule on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

According to tourism authority VisitEngland, an estimated 10.6 million British adults are planning a UK holiday over the bank holiday period.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 11,282 flights are set to take off from UK airports between Good Friday and Easter Monday.