Back-to-back UK bank holidays could deliver a double whammy on traffic troubles as drivers make the most of the time off.

This coming weekend could be the busiest early May bank holiday since 2016

Some 32 million separate leisure trips by car are being planned over the May Day and Coronation bank holidays, according to RAC research.

But it’s this coming May Day bank holiday that could see the greatest number of people on the road with around 17.2 million individual trips – marginally more than over the same period last year and potentially the busiest early May bank holiday since 2016.

This Friday and Saturday (28 and 29 April) are likely to see the greatest numbers of drivers take to the roads. Drivers are planning an estimated 2.3 million trips on Friday alone, and the afternoon and early evening will likely bring congestion as leisure and end-of-the-week commuter traffic combine.

Traffic will peak on Saturday with around 2.7 million journeys while an extra 7.6 million are planned for some point over the whole weekend.

Potential traffic hot spots, revealed in Inrix data, include the M5 southbound between J15 Bristol and J23 Taunton on Friday afternoon, as well as the M6 northbound from J18 Chester to J24 Liverpool around the same time – with queues of at least 30 minutes expected.

Drivers are advised to set out before 11am if they possibly can or leave their journeys until later on Friday evening, or early on Saturday, to have a better chance of missing the worst of the jams.

Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at Inrix, commented: “Although delays won’t be as severe as Easter, drivers should expect long delays on major roads in and around greater London this weekend. Travel times will likely peak on Friday afternoon with some areas seeing double the travel times as holiday travellers mix with commuters, but drivers should be prepared for added congestion throughout the holiday weekend.”

The Coronation weekend is expected to be slightly less busy with 14.6 million journeys as people stay at home to watch the event on TV. The RAC anticipates an even spread of traffic – around two million trips each day – with Friday afternoon and Saturday likely to see the most congestion.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis stated: “While we’d expect more short breaks and day trips to the coast this coming weekend, when it comes to the Coronation it’s likely major routes are less likely to be congested. The big variable, as always, is what happens with the Great British weather. If temperatures finally increase and the sun makes more of an appearance, we could well see many more people jumping in the car for a quick trip.”