A WHOPPING three million drivers are on the roads and airports are rammed as Brits rush to get home for Christmas.
Friday will be the busiest day of Christmas driving since records began in 2010, the AA said.
George Cracknell WrightToday will see three million people hit the roads[/caption]
SWNSTraffic building up on the M11 near Cambridge this morning[/caption]
LNPFestive passengers queuing for check-in at Manchester Airport[/caption]
And snaps show queues building for check-in at Manchester Airport and other flight hubs as festive passengers set off home.
Around 90,000 passengers could travel through Manchester Airport each day in the run-up to Christmas.
The airport warned that wrapped presents, crackers and snow globes are not allowed in hand luggage.
Failure to put these festive items in hold luggage could worsen delays at check-in.
Delays of more than are 45 minutes likely in the evening on the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire between the M25 in west London and the south coast.
There could also be delays on the M25 anticlockwise from the junction with the M1 near Watford to the M23 for Gatwick Airport.
Further north, the M53 northbound from Chester to Liverpool will be worst affected by delays during home-time traffic on Friday.
The AA has issued a string of amber traffic warnings ahead of “Frantic Friday”.
The RAC and INRIX have said roads will be at their most congested between 1pm and 7pm today and over the weekend.
Experts recommend drivers either set off early or later in the evening.
National Highways will remove roadworks on 95% of the roads it manages to ease traffic.
RAC Breakdown’s Alice Simpson said: “Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year.
“Many drivers will be squeezing in their getaway trips right up until the big day itself.
“While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, ‘Snarl-up Saturday’ looks particularly challenging as does Christmas Eve.
“Travelling outside peak hours might be the only way drivers miss the worst of the jams.”
The next busiest days are expected to be 21 and 23 December, with 22.7 million drivers on the roads.
Most drivers are staying local and travelling less than 50 miles over the holidays, the AA said.
Planned rail strikes are also likely to add to the misery, Simpson added.
Avanti West Coast staff are set to walk out after Christmas and works.
Full list of today’s traffic hotspots
Traffic hotspots on Friday include:
M4/M5 interchange
M3/M25 interchange
M25 around Heathrow Airport
M5/M6 interchange
M6 J4-11 (M42-Wolverhampton)
M27 J14-13 (Southampton to Portsmouth)
M4 around Cardiff and Newport
A38 in Somerset
A34 Oxford to Newbury
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