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Britain’s roads are set to be the busiest of the Christmas holidays, with millions of cars expected to hit Britain’s roads in the days leading up to December 25.
The AA estimates it will peak on Friday, when around 24.4 million vehicles will travel across the UK.
Meanwhile, the RAC estimates that 37.5 million holiday trips by car are planned between Wednesday and Christmas Eve, the highest figure for this period since their records began in 2013.
Transport analytics company Inrix predicted there would be long delays on several major routes on Friday.
Many drivers leaving urban areas for the Christmas holidays will compete for space on the road with passengers.
On Saturday and Christmas Eve, drivers are being warned that the worst conditions will be between 11am and 7pm.
Among the expected Christmas getaway traffic hotspots are:
– M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19, and clockwise from Junction 23 to Junction 28.
– Eastwards from M4 Junction 29.
– M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A, and from Junction 18 to Junction 24.
– M1 northbound from Junction 22 to Junction 26.
– M60 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 18.
The AA said roads were expected to remain busy early next week.
Trips are forecast to decline slightly to 22.7 million on Christmas Eve, with an estimated 18.3 million cars on the road on Christmas Day.
The RAC estimates that 24 December will be the busiest day for holiday journeys over the festive period, with 4.2 million journeys.
The AA’s figures are based on a survey of more than 10,000 of its members, while the RAC’s estimates are based on a nationally representative survey of 2,191 UK adults.
Both organizations detailed responses to 34 million registered cars in the UK.
The AA poll indicated that in addition to the usual mix of trips for last-minute shopping and family visits, 25 per cent to 30 per cent of respondents planning to drive before Christmas Day said they would do so for work.
The survey also suggested that the majority of drivers are staying local, with the majority not intending to travel more than 50 miles.
The challenge will be further compounded by the closure of the M27 motorway in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 4am on January 4 for major works, affecting journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.
Shaun Jones, AA specialist patrolman, said: “It’s starting to look a lot like traffic.
“Our advice is simple: plan in advance, check your route and allow extra time.
“Patience will be your best gift this year.”
Nick Mullender, RAC mobile servicing and repair team leader, said: “With record numbers of people predicted to be on the roads this Christmas, journeys without some careful planning are likely to be Grinch-worthy.
“The week before Christmas is one of the few times of year when much of the UK is out on the streets together, with 2025 being the busiest holiday period since our records began.”
National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, said it would “clear as many roads as safely possible so everyone can get where they need to go this Christmas”.
Engineering work by Network Rail will put increased pressure on roads – particularly after Christmas Day – disrupting many of Britain’s busiest railway lines.
Projects on several sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to London Euston from 27 December to 4 January, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to 14 January.
Elsewhere on the network, there will be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and January 2.
No services will run between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between Christmas Day and January 5.
London Waterloo, one of Britain’s busiest stations, will be closed to trains between Christmas Day and December 28 and its timetable will be reduced between December 29 and January 4.
In Scotland, there will be no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich between Christmas Eve and January 2.
Network Rail said around 95 per cent of Britain’s railways would be unaffected by the engineering work.
But, as usual, the entire network will be shut down on Christmas Day.
Most operators will not run any trains on Boxing Day, but some operators will have very limited timetables.
UK airports are expecting their busiest Christmas holiday in history.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the number of passengers in December is expected to exceed last year’s record by 22 million.
Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, is preparing for more than seven million passengers through its four terminals this month.
The Port of Dover estimates there will be around 30,000 cars heading out over the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.