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'Mad Scramble' And 'Mess' Over Bank Holiday

Millions of Britons planning a bank holiday getaway have been warned of congestion on the roads, disruption to train services and a weekend of rain and thunderstorms.

More than 13 million drivers are expected to hit the road for trips over this long weekend, with congestion set to be worst this evening, the AA says.

A poll of more than 12,000 AA members found that 39% are likely to be on the road either for a day trip or overnight stay, and the average trip will be around 90 miles.

Max Holdstock, of the AA, predicted it would be a "bit of a mad scramble" on the roads.

"The busiest times will be Friday evening and Monday afternoon, so try to allow extra time if you're travelling then," he said.

"Routes to the South West and the coast are usually among the busiest and there will be localised congestion around events, particularly at finish time."

Severe disruption to the rail network due to planned engineering work and strike action is also expected to hit travellers hard.

Improvement work is taking place on the West Coast Main Line which will affect services from a number of locations, including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.

Many passengers will be forced to make multiple changes and use replacement buses.

Revellers attending Reading Festival are set to be hit by strike action from Saturday to Monday by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union as First Great Western passengers travelling towards the South West will face reduced services.

And works by Southern mean trains will be disrupted from the south coast and Surrey into London from Saturday to Monday.

On Sunday buses will replace trains between Bicester North and Banbury, increasing journey times from the Midlands and Oxfordshire to London.

Meanwhile, weather experts have warned that most of the UK should prepare for showers, with thunderstorms predicted in the South East on Saturday night.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "The Bank Holiday weekend will bring a mix of sunny spells and showers, but more prolonged heavy rain will threaten parts of the South on Saturday evening and Sunday."