Drivers urged by RAC when to leave on August bank holiday with delays likely

The RAC is warning of traffic hotspots, including the M5 between Bristol and Devon, while Network Rail is closing some major routes for engineering work

William Morgan Reporter and Neil Lancefield 05:44, 19 Aug 2025

Motorists are being cautioned about extensive delays on key routes as 17.6 million car journeys are anticipated across the UK during the August bank holiday[1] weekend.

The RAC, which issued the warning, advised drivers to depart as early as possible or "be prepared to spend longer in traffic". The South East and South West are predicted to experience some of the most severe motorway[2] congestion.

According to the RAC, motorists[3] seeking to maximise the final long weekend before Christmas in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are expected to make around 3.0 million trips for holidays or day excursions on Friday.

This figure increases to 3.4 million on Saturday, 2.4 million on Sunday and 2.7 million on Monday.

The RAC reported that a further 6.1 million drivers are planning a leisure journey at some stage between Friday and Monday.

The statistics are derived from responses to a survey of 2,080 UK adults, scaled up to reflect the 34 million licensed cars in the UK.

Transport analytics firm Inrix forecast that the M5 between Bristol and Devon will experience the most severe holiday traffic, with the section from junction 15 north of Bristol to junction 23 for Bridgwater likely to encounter delays exceeding 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday.

RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said: "With this bank holiday being the last opportunity to enjoy a long weekend before Christmas, our study shows a real eagerness to get out and about with nearly 18 million drivers planning getaway trips.

"More traffic on the roads will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns, especially if the sun makes an appearance and people decide on the day to visit popular destinations.

"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.

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

Rail travellers are also facing significant disruption as Network Rail carries out 261 engineering projects nationwide.

Long-distance services between London King's Cross and Peterborough will be suspended on Sunday, affecting Anglo-Scottish routes operated by LNER and Lumo on the East Coast Main Line.

Avanti West Coast will run a limited and altered timetable to and from London Euston.

Services between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International will be completely suspended from Saturday through Monday.

Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry services will be rerouted, leading to longer journey times, while London Northwestern services will only operate to and from Birmingham International.

Helen Hamlin, Network Rail's chief network operator, commented: "With the August bank holiday[4] weekend approaching, we've carefully planned our engineering work to minimise disruption, allowing people to rely on the railway and make the most of the late summer bank holiday weekend.

"While the vast majority of the railway will be running, works on some parts of the network are unfortunately unavoidable, as we complete major work to support a better, more reliable railway that we wouldn't be able to complete in a normal weekend.

"So we're asking passengers to check their journeys in advance to ensure their route isn't affected."

References

1. ^ bank holiday (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
2. ^ motorway (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
3. ^ motorists (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
4. ^ August bank holiday (www.bristolpost.co.uk)