A major UK motorway is expected to be “one of the worst for delays” as millions of people make Bank Holiday weekend journeys.

Around 3.6million car journeys are expected today (Saturday) alone, with the RAC predicting it to be the second busiest Bank Holiday weekend since 2015.

Millions of extra journeys are set to take place this weekend (Image: Getty)

While delays are expected on several key roads throughout the country, the M5 motorway has been singled out as the major route expected to be most severely hit as people travel to Devon and Cornwall for a break.

The breakdown service was expecting the M5, which links the Midlands with the South West, to be “one of the worst roads for delays in the country” on both Friday and Saturday, particularly southbound between J15 and J23, as well northbound between J25 and J15 on Bank Holiday Monday with returning traffic

Inrix, the traffic analytics company, predicts two stretches of the motorway will see particularly long delays – between Junction 4 and Junction 1 near Birmingham and Junction 22 to Junction 20 near Bristol.

People are being advised against travelling at peak times (Image: Getty)

A spokesperson advised drivers wanting to avoid the worst delays not to travel between 12pm and 5pm on Saturday, and between 11am and 1pm on Sunday.

Other motorways expected to see significant delays against normal travel times over the Bank Holiday weekend include M1 between Junction 21 and Junction 25 in the East Midlands, M25 around London and M8 in Glasgow.

National Highways said it had lifted more than 500 miles of roadworks on motorways and major A-roads for the Bank Holiday weekend – which was expected to see 19.2million leisure journeys taken between Friday and Monday.

Dale Hipkiss, National Network Manager at National Highways, said: “We anticipate the roads will be busier than usual this August Bank Holiday, with seaside resorts, airports and theme parks amongst some of the most popular destinations.

“People heading to Europe via the Kent ports for some last-minute sun should also check before they travel and leave plenty of extra time as routes in Kent are expected to be busier.”

Many people are set to head to Devon and Cornwall for the weekend (Image: Getty)

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “While the late August bank holiday is not typically one of the busiest on the roads due to it falling in the middle of the school holidays when people are already away, either in the UK or abroad, it still has huge potential to bring gridlock to major roads, especially if we were to see the sun make a welcome comeback.

“There are plenty of known hotspots on the motorway network but probably the single biggest one in the summer months is the Almondsbury interchange at Bristol, right by the RAC building, where the M5 and the M4 meet.

“As tens of thousands of drivers head for Devon and Cornwall the coming-together of traffic leads to regular tailbacks every Friday afternoon. Add a bank holiday and some sunshine into the mix and it’s the perfect recipe for a long wait on the motorway.”

The busiest August bank holiday weekend in recent years was in 2022.

That bank holiday came during very hot weather and two summers of coronavirus restrictions impacting people’s activities.