As record numbers of motorists prepare to set off on a long weekend break, the AA has revealed its top 10 hotspots.

They include the M1, junction 10, Luton South; the A303, near Stonehenge; and the M6, junction 17, Sandbach.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour strike by Aslef and RMT drivers on 29 August, will halt South West Trains on many routes.

'Limited rail services'

The AA's top 10 worst bottlenecks A30 in Devon and Cornwall - Particularly at Bodmin & Carland Cross, near Newquay M5 Southbound past Bristol - J15-J19; J21, Weston-Super-Mare M6 around Manchester & Liverpool - J29-J30, Preston; J17, Sandbach M6 through the West Midlands - J5-J8 Birmingham-Walsall M5 Northbound in the Midlands - J1-M6, West Bromwich-Walsall A40 Oxford Northern Bypass - roadworks around Headington A303 Westbound - Around Stonehenge and at Podimore Roundabout north of Yeovil M4 Westbound - J1-J5 Chiswick-Slough M1 Northbound - J6-J10 Hemel Hempstead-Luton [roadworks]; J23-J27 Loughborough-Nottingham M25 around London - particularly J25-J26 Holmesdale Tunnel, Waltham Abbey [roadworks], J12-J16, Staines to Uxbridge Petrol pricing war intensifies

The industrial action is the first of three days of strike action affecting South West Trains.

The strikes will run from midnight to midnight on Tuesday, the 8 and 11 September.

SWTs has advised passengers not to travel on their trains on these dates as the strike "will severely limit services", with no trains able to operate on many routes, National Rail Inquiries said.

There will be a very limited train service on the following routes:

*Haslemere - Guildford - Woking - London/Waterloo

*Southampton - Salisbury - Basingstoke - London/Waterloo

*Hampton Court - Surbiton - London/Waterloo.

Special replacement bus services will be running in place of trains on a number of routes, however, due to space restrictions "bulky luggage and prams cannot be carried on any of these replacement bus services".

Bicycles, other than those that can be folded, will not be allowed on the company's trains or their replacement buses.

For travellers planning to take the Eurostar - linking the UK with France and Belgium - the high speed train service has added an extra two trains to its schedule to cater for the extra 140,000 passengers it is expecting over the long weekend.

'Holiday nightmares'

Meanwhile, Green Flag Motoring Assistance has revealed the majority of breakdowns are caused by poor car maintenance.

The company said it responded to more than 30,000 calls for help last August Bank Holiday weekend.

Green Flag's busiest time was between 0900 and 1000 BST on Tuesday, 30 August, when it said it received almost 1,000 calls in just one hour, as people returned to work.

Philippa Naylor, from Green Flag, said: "A combination of congestion and poor planning could make a fun day out soon turn into a nightmare.

"Long journeys stuck in traffic can also create problems on the first day back to work so a few basic maintenance checks can go a long way in preventing breakdowns."

The firm has advised motorists embarking on long distance journeys this bank holiday to avoid the busiest time to travel, which is between 1000 and 1200 BST.

Distracted drivers

Some "holiday" drivers put themselves and their passengers at risk when they become distracted by stunning scenery, a recent survey suggests.

Research conducted by Privilege Insurance suggests one in four drivers found stunning countryside like the Lake District a distraction from driving.

Men were found to be the "worst culprits" with 30% (a third) admitting they could be distracted by beautiful scenery, compared with less than a quarter of women, the company said.

Young drivers were found to be the most in awe of their surroundings with a third of those aged 18 to 29, admitting to being "sidetracked by a lovely landscape" and a fifth by famous monuments.