Bank holiday weekend: Travellers warned of road and rail delays

Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Large crowds are expected to head to events including London's Notting Hill Carnival, the Reading and Leeds festivals and the Creamfields festival in Cheshire.

Inrix, a transport analytics firm, said the M5 between Bristol and Devon could see the most severe traffic.

The stretch from junction 15 north of Bristol to junction 23 for Bridgwater likely to see delays of more than 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday.

Motorists should also brace for hold-ups lasting more than half an hour on Friday on the M20 in Kent - a busy route for crossing the Channel via Dover or Folkestone.

"We're expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the south-east and south-west regions which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups," Nick Mullender, the RAC's mobile servicing and repairs team leader, said.

"Anyone planning routes through these areas should set off as early as possible or be prepared to spend longer in traffic."