Warning of bumper-to-bumper traffic as months’ worth of rain to fall …
Drivers have been told to expect “bumper-to-bumper” traffic on motorways this weekend as almost a month’s worth of rain is set to fall during the great summer holiday getaway[1] rush.
Some 12 million car journeys will be made across the UK this weekend, with travellers warned of a perfect storm of rail strikes, wet weather and an increase in Britons choosing last-minute staycations as the school holidays begin.
Almost a month’s worth of rain is expected to fall in parts of the UK over 48 hours starting on Friday night into Saturday. West Wales, the south-west of England, northern England, southern Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland are expected to be worst hit by persistent, heavy rain, forecasters said.
A typical month’s rainfall in July in the UK is 88mm. West Wales and the south-west of England are expected to see 35 to 40mm in 24 hours from Saturday, and up to 80mm in the Welsh hills. Northern England, southern Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland are expected to see 80mm of rainfall across the course of the weekend.
Rail strikes could also push more people onto the roads with thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) striking on Thursday, Saturday and again on Saturday 29 July.
The drivers’ union ASLEF union has also announced a ban on overtime working that will affect some operators until Saturday and from Monday 31 July to Saturday 5 August.
Meanwhile, more than two million passengers are expected to pass through airports as at least 11,839 flights will depart the UK between Friday and Monday, according to data from aviation analysts Cirium.
This is a significant increase on the 9,073 flights over the spring half-term holiday and 10,343 at Easter.
The majority will depart from Heathrow (2,607), followed by Gatwick (1,702), Manchester (1,148), Stansted (1,061), and Edinburgh (657).
Although air travel is nearing levels seen before the pandemic, other trends suggest more people are intending to stay in the UK this year.
Holiday operator Away Resorts said it had seen a 51 per cent surge in late bookings for summer breaks in the UK amid headlines about the scorching heatwave in Europe[2].
Meanwhile, the RAC says it is expecting at least 12.6 million car trips this weekend, compared with 10.2m for the same period between 2014-2019.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis warned drivers to “anticipate bumper-to-bumper traffic”, suggesting a fall in fuel prices – £25 less this week than it was a year ago – may also encourage people to venture out in their cars.
He expects the M5 heading towards popular holiday destination in the South West to be especially busy.
“There’s no doubting the UK remains an ever-popular holiday destination with millions of drivers expected to take to the roads at the end of this week as schools in England and Wales close for summer,” Mr Dennis said.
“With the West Country leading the pack when it comes to the most popular part of the country to visit, it means routes heading south and west are likely to encounter some of the longest queues.
“Anyone using the M5 southbound from Bristol should anticipate bumper-to-bumper traffic, with those travelling outside peak periods most likely to have a better journey.”
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The RAC adds that it is seeing an “enormous” increase in breakdowns this year as a result of people cutting back on car maintenance due to the cost of living crisis.
They are urging anyone heading out on to the road to make sure their vehicle is roadworthy and prepared before setting off.
Rail strikes have been ongoing for more than a year and the Highways Agency said last year it expected extra congestion and was preparing to deploy extra patrols if necessary.
Data from tech company TomTom has shown congestion levels in London rising 26 points compared to previous weeks during rail walkouts.

Travellers to the port of Dover are being warned to expect waits of more than two and a half hours.
Post-Brexit checks have seen processing times soar. Coach travellers having their passports stamped by French border officials at Dover endured waits of up to 20 hours over Easter.
Around 10,500 vehicles are expected at the port on Saturday during what is likely to be one of its busiest days since pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
References
- ^ summer holiday getaway (inews.co.uk)
- ^ scorching heatwave in Europe (inews.co.uk)