Easter weather and travel update: Worst holiday hotspots revealed

Beware of 'manic Monday' as millions of motorists clog Britain's roads as weekend ends on a washout

By Dave Lancaster |

12:13 17 April 2014

The Easter bank holiday weekend is set to bring severe traffic jams and a mixture of weather. 

 

Over 18 million motorists will be clogging UK roads over the long weekend with the RAC warning of the 'manic Monday' rush as families make their way home in time to have the kids back at school on the Tuesday. 

 

Over three million will enjoy a staycation of at last one night somewhere else in the UK while 6.5m will take a day trip while 1.6m will opt for overseas vacations. 

 

Tom Tobler, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, predicted the weather: "On Friday it will be generally fine, though it will be feeling cooler than it has been, and Saturday will be a similar story, so the start of the Easter weekend is looking pretty good.

 

"However the picture changes on Sunday, when an easterly wind is expected to bring some potentially heavy rain across much of the country. There will be some rain around on Easter Monday as well, but Sunday is expected to be the worse of the two days."

 

Trafficmaster revealed that the worst holiday hotspots are likely to be these locations:

 

• A303 westbound from M3/J8 through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset
• M1 from Junction 6A (M25 interchange) to Junction 13; and from Junction 23A to Junction 32 (M18)
• M5 from Junction 15 (Almondsbury) towards Junction 31 (Exeter for West Country)
• M6 through West Midlands (from Junction 4A) and northwards towards Lancashire (Junction 21A)
• M25 all sections, especially both ways around J14/17 (Heathrow Airport and M4, M40 interchanges)

 

In addition, Network Rail are looking to renew nearly 8km worth of track amid their engineering work that will span 3,000 locations over Easter.