Drive home on Christmas Eve to avoid getaway chaos: AA predicts December 22 and 23 will be the two worst days on roads over festive season… as map reveals traffic hotspots

• Busiest days for travel will be Friday, December 22 and Saturday, December 23
• Motorway hotspots will likely include the M25, M1, M62, M60, M5, M6 and M4

Festive motorists in Britain can avoid the worst traffic this year by driving home on Christmas Eve, experts said today with jams set to peak earlier than normal.

With Christmas Day falling on a Monday, the AA has warned of ‘lengthy jams’ on at least seven motorways on both Friday, December 22 and Saturday, December 23.

The motoring organisation expects many people to take advantage of the weekend and travel to see family then, rather than the traditional Christmas Eve.

The AA estimated that 16.1million car journeys will take place on December 22 and 16.4million on December 23 – and issued an ‘amber traffic warning’ for those days.

Hotspots will likely be the M25 around London, the M6 around Birmingham and the M1 north of Luton, while the M62 and M60 in the North West will also be busy.

The AA issued this route planner map for the ‘amber traffic warning’ on December 22 and 23

The M5 between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare and the M6 around Birmingham were identified as motorway stretches where bumper-to-bumper conditions are likely – while it will also be congested on the M4 between London and South Wales.

READ MORE Full list of travel disruptions over Christmas with Elizabeth line, Tubes, King’s Cross and Paddington stations all closed

AA president Edmund King urged drivers to pack essentials such as water, high-protein food or chocolate, warm clothes and a hi-vis jacket in case they get stranded.

To avoid the chances of a breakdown, he recommended people carry out vehicle checks before setting off, such as on tyres, fuel, oil, coolant and screenwash.

He said: ‘While Friday, December 22 and Saturday, December 23 look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary.

‘New Year’s Day will be the quietest day on the roads which is probably a good thing especially if drivers have been partying the previous evening.

‘Drivers can still be breathalysed and lose their licence for driving over the limit the morning after.’

Rail services will also be disrupted over the festive period due to Network Rail carrying out engineering work.

London Paddington will be closed between Christmas Eve and Wednesday, December 27 – meaning no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport during that period.

Long-distance services will start and end at Reading, with connecting trains to and from Ealing Broadway or London Waterloo.

London King’s Cross will be closed on Christmas Eve. And London Fenchurch Street will have no trains between December 23 and 27.

READ MORE Dreaming of a White Christmas? Met Office says it could be on the cards with ‘increased’ chance of snow and ice in late December and the New Year

Southeastern services that usually operate to or from London Victoria will be diverted to Blackfriars, Charing Cross and Cannon Street between December 23 and New Year’s Day.

Outside of the capital, an engineering project near Southampton will see some disruption to services, as will work to build the new Cambridge South station.

No trains will operate on Christmas Day, with a very limited service running on Boxing Day.

The Elizabeth line will have no service between Paddington and Ealing Broadway on December 24 and 27, and no service at all on December 25 and 26.

Meanwhile the London Overground and Underground will have a reduced service on December 24, no service on December 25, and a reduced service on some routes on December 26, 27 and 28.

Lawrence Bowman, network strategy director for Network Rail, said: ‘We understand how important this time of year is for our passengers for reconnecting with family and friends.

‘With more than 96 per cent of the network open for business as usual, we have tried as far as possible to design our investment projects around our passengers and keep disruption to a minimum.

‘We are carrying out some significant projects, not as many as past years, but still some £127million of investment ranging from laying new track, installing new bridges and making improvements to stations so that passengers can benefit from better and more reliable services and facilities.

Heavy traffic on the M25 motorway at junction 12 near Heathrow on December 23 last year

‘We plan our Christmas engineering programmes months- and in some cases years, in advance and target the quietest times, overnight, weekends and Christmas Day and Boxing Day to ensure we keep what disruption there is to an absolute minimum and will always looks to use diversions rather than put people on buses.

‘But some routes will see disruption as we upgrade the railway, so it’s important that passengers check their journeys before travelling.’

Airports will be busy with many people heading overseas for festive holidays or arriving in the UK to spend Christmas with loved ones.

Heathrow Airport expects 6.5million passengers will travel through its terminals this month, with tens of thousands departing on Christmas Day.

The AA’s traffic estimates are based on a survey of more than 12,000 of its members who were asked about their travel plans.

It was conducted by research company Yonder between November 13 and 21.

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