A traffic warning has been issued to motorists as millions of people prepare to make their Christmas getawat journeys.
The AA said Friday will be the busiest day on the roads this week, with an estimated 16.9 million journeys being made across the UK.
A further 16.6 million journeys are expected to be made on Christmas Eve.
The alert, issued by the RAC, has been issued for a stretch of the M25 - between junction seven for the M23 and junction 16 for the M40 - and delays are also expected on the M60, the M6 in north-west and the M40 in Oxfordshire.
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The RAC said roads will be busiest on Friday – the last working day before Christmas – between 10am and 7pm.
There is set to be more pressure on the roads as many people will make their journeys by car due to severe disruption on the railways.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail walking out from 6pm on Christmas Eve, causing train services to finish at around 3pm that day.
An overtime ban is also causing major disruption to services by a number of operators on Friday, including Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Railway and South Western Railway.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “We’re expecting to see lengthy delays on parts of the M25 today as Christmas getaway and end-of-the-week commuter traffic combine.
“We advise drivers, if possible, to avoid these roads around this time or delay their trips until after 7pm this evening when traffic is predicted to be lighter.
“A single vehicle breakdown also has the potential to add to the queues, so we encourage motorists to complete a few pre-drive checks before setting out – in particular ensuring oil and coolant levels are correct, and tyres have plenty of tread and are properly inflated.”
AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “We are advising those heading out in their cars to be prepared for some congestion, especially on popular routes heading out of London.
“The rail strikes have convinced more people to travel by car this year, and while hundreds of miles of roadworks have been removed to ease the pain, it might not be enough to keep the queues away.”
Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue said: “With pre-pandemic levels of travellers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays – especially in and around major cities.”
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