Warning over bank holiday travel

Heavy traffic is expected on many routes

Bank holiday travellers are being warned of disruption this weekend with congested roads and rail engineering work expected to cause major delays.

The AA says there could be a third more traffic than usual on popular routes on Friday, with congestion likely to affect parts of the M4, M5 and M6.

The RAC said the busiest roads would be around London and Birmingham, as well as the Lake District and coast resorts.

Buses will replace trains on a number of lines, including the West Coast.

Passengers on the West Coast Main Line, where a £9 billion upgrade was completed last December, will have to travel on buses between Milton Keynes Central and Birmingham International station.

Car checks

Other companies using rail-replacement bus services are South West Trains, Arriva Trains Wales, First Capital Connect, Northern Rail and Southern.

But Network rail said there would be 1,500 extra trains running this weekend and 30% fewer replacement buses compared with 2008.

Meanwhile, on the roads, the AA said journey times on Friday could increase by as much as 50%.

Those travelling on the M5 from the West Midlands to Exeter, the M6 from Lancaster to the Lake District, the M4, A40 and A48 to Wales and the A1 from Wetherby to Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire are all expected to suffer delays.

The motoring organisation is warning drivers to check their cars before they travel, particularly keeping an eye on the coolant level to avoid overheating on long journeys.

AA patrolman Stewart Topp said: "Towing a caravan or trailer places a car under great strain with the engine and cooling system working harder.

"This makes it more likely that problems will occur, so it's especially important that caravanners do the checks."