This year’s Easter bank holiday weekend could be the busiest since 2022 – the first full getaway after the Covid lockdowns – with Brits planning more than 19 million leisure trips.

Research suggests traffic will be equally severe on Thursday 18, Good Friday 19 and Saturday 20 April

The RAC and traffic analytics specialist Inrix are predicting a ‘hat-trick of hold-ups’ as research suggests traffic will be equally severe on Thursday 18, Good Friday 19 and Saturday 20 April with drivers planning around 2.7 million trips every day.

The number of trips planned drops slightly on Easter Sunday to 2.5 million, before increasing again to a further 2.7 million on bank holiday Monday as millions of people return home – ahead of most school terms beginning the next day.

A further 6.2 million journeys are anticipated at some point over the Easter bank holiday weekend, but drivers planning these trips are still unsure exactly when they’ll travel – with the weather expected to be a big factor.

RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said that as the late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter break for many schools, the nature of this year’s Easter getaway will likely be different.

“This could lead to a ‘hat-trick of hold-ups’ on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as drivers visit family and friends.”

Traffic jams on Thursday 17 April are likely to increase by nearly a third (30%) more than usual. On this day, Inrix is predicting delays of more than an hour on the 35-mile clockwise stretch of the M25 between J7 for Gatwick Airport and J16 for the M40 to the West Midlands, around 11.45am. The M6 north of Chester and M25 clockwise towards Godstone in Surrey could also see long delays in the evening.

On Good Friday, the lengthiest hold-ups are expected between 11am to 1pm, meaning drivers are advised to start their trips as early as possible in the morning or delay them until later in the afternoon. Two popular routes to the West Country – the A303 westbound to Stonehenge and the M5 southbound between J15 at the RAC tower north of Bristol and J23 for Bridgwater – could be affected by some of the longest jams, with journey times extending to 43 minutes and one hour 20 minutes respectively – more than half as long as usual.

For those returning from the West Country on Easter Monday 21 April, delays of nearly an hour (58 minutes) are expected around 2.30pm on the M5 northbound between J25 for Taunton and J16 at the RAC tower. Elsewhere, the M25 anticlockwise between J4 from Bromley and the Dartford Crossing will be hit with queues at lunchtime, with journeys taking over half an hour longer than normal.

National Highways’ ‘Operation Brock’ traffic contraflow system will still be in place throughout the Easter weekend until 22 April, with lorries travelling to the Port of Dover being directed to a specific lane at Junction 8 of the M20.

The RAC’s Alice Simpson went on: “Drivers shouldn’t expect to escape the queues if they don’t plan the best time to set off. It’s always best to travel as early as possible in the morning or later in the day when most of the traffic has eased, especially if headed to popular holiday destinations such as the West Country, Scotland or Wales.”