Poor weather and transport strikes threaten to worsen traffic congestion for millions of travellers making their Christmas getaway.

Eighteen million cars are expected to hit the roads over the festive period, extended for many this year as people take Monday and Tuesday off before Christmas Day.

Usual problems were worsened by fog and rain across most of the UK on Saturday.

Many people are heading abroad

The north east and the midlands suffered the slowest moving traffic, including the M5, M6 and M42 near Birmingham, the M62 near Huddersfield and the M60 near Greater Manchester.

Train passengers face continuing disruption as drivers at Great West Northern enter the second day of a 48-hour walk-out.

The Association of Train Operating Companies is warning passengers not to travel without seat reservations.

Early rush

First Great Western, which runs trains from London to south Wales and the south-west, is fully booked for Monday with Tuesday rapidly selling out.

No trains will run on Wednesday and there are no intercity trains on Thursday.

AA DELAY WARNINGS

London and the South East - M4 westbound through Berkshire; M1 northbound from the M25 through Hertfordshire; M25 West Country - M4/M5 interchange, Almondsbury; A303 in Wiltshire between Countess Roundabout and Stonehenge Wales - M4 between Second Severn Crossing and Newport, approaching Brynglas Tunnels Midlands - M42 junctions with the A42 and Junction Six around National Exhibition Centre North East - A167M, central motorway, through Newcastle; A1 Western Bypass around Newcastle North West - M60, Manchester Ring Road and M6, between Cheshire and Manchester Scotland - M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh; A80 between Glasgow and Stirling

With three-quarters of the nation taking to the roads, a record number are also expected to take to the skies.

Between Saturday and Christmas, about 1.5 million people are expected to pass through the UK's airports.

Many of these flights will be domestic - but a record 1.5 million Britons are expected to go abroad.

Mainland Spain and the Canary Islands are the top two destinations, with France third, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta).

Gatwick airport was described as "extremely busy", with around 52,000 people departing from the airport on Saturday.

Ferry and Channel Tunnel operators said they were expecting one of the busiest weekends of the year with travellers seeking cheap goods for Christmas in France.

The Met Office said the chances of a white Christmas anywhere in the UK were "very slim".