The M4 and M5 are among the motorways worst-hit

Earlier delays across the South West, with the M4 eastbound, M5 northbound and A30 in Cornwall, have improved.

In the South East, the M25 and the A259 in Kent had been affected, as had the M53 in Merseyside and A64 in York.

An spokeswoman from the RAC motoring organisation said traffic had been at its peak during lunchtime and the early afternoon, but was now dropping off.

"What we're assuming is that people have tried to stagger their homeward journeys," she said.

17m vehicles

She said there had been reports of busy periods around Milton Keynes and Northampton, as well as the approaches to London, but it had not been as busy as Thursday or Friday.

Airports, ferry terminals and train stations are also said to have seen much activity.

More than 17 million vehicles are thought to be have been on the roads over the Easter weekend.

Weather forecasts had predicted bright and sunny conditions as travellers made their journeys home, apart from eastern Scotland, Cornwall and Devon, which suffered rain and brisk winds.

Meanwhile, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said the Easter weekend saw more than 2,200,000 Britons travel abroad, with many travelling to European ski resorts, as well as destinations in North Africa.