Thirteen million Brits to hit the roads for Christmas getaway

Thirteen millions drivers are expected to face gridlock on Britain's roads for the Christmas getaway.

A record number of air passengers are also set to descend on Gatwick Airport.

Drivers could face delays on the road of more than four hours as the festive getaway begins on December 20.

December 22 is set to be a peak day for travel as last-minute shoppers and revellers face train strikes, a recent study showed.

Meanwhile, more than four million people will fly out of London airports over the season as a "record" number escape to long-haul destinations on Christmas Day.

The equivalent of 13 million drivers will hit the roads on Friday, according to the AA.

In the survey of 18,547 AA members, 40 per cent said they will drive more the 20 miles as the festive weekend begins.

This marks the busiest time on the roads over Christmas as commuters share the road with last-minute shoppers, the survey found.

Planned industrial action on Virgin Trains West Coast on Friday could also bring more traffic to the road, the research said.

December 23 and Christmas Eve are also expected to be busy, with 35 per cent of drivers travelling on Saturday and 27 per cent on Christmas Eve, according to the survey.

Traffic is expected to begin from Wednesday, according to analytics company INRIX, with the worst delays possibly exceeding four hours.

The M6 Southbound will be the busiest road of the season on December 21, with queues potentially lasting up to five hours.

While the M25 between Merstham and Buckinghamshire is forecast to be really busy, with delays of up to four hours on December 17.

But not everyone is staying in the UK this Christmas and many Brits will fly out of the country after schools break up for the holidays.

Gatwick Airport said the festive period is expected to be its busiest on record, as 1.1 million people will fly between December 15 and January 3.

The airport also reported a 4 per cent hike year on year in departures on Christmas Day.

Heathrow Airport said 2.98 million passengers are booked to fly between December 18 and 31.

December 22 is forecast to be the busiest day for both - as passengers jet off to long-haul destinations including San Francisco, St Lucia, New York and Dubai.

Vince Crane, AA patrol of the year, said: “With Christmas falling on a Monday, many drivers may hope that journeys would be spread across the weekend - but it means more days of traffic as the getaway from work on Friday is followed by the last major shopping opportunity on Saturday and visits to friends and family on Sunday.”

He added: “On Friday, it’s likely to be very busy at peak times on the major routes. Check the traffic reports before you leave and try to travel when it’s quieter or, if you have no choice, consider an alternative route to beat the jams."