It's ‘Frantic Friday’: Shropshire drivers warned to expect delays
Drivers were told being warned to brace themselves for 'Frantic Friday' as the schools break up and millions take advantage of the sunny weather and take to the roads.
It is estimated that an extra 3.8 million drivers will take to the roads for leisure trips today.
While it will be good news for Shropshire's tourist attractions, which are expecting thousands of extra visitors, it could also spell misery for drivers who could find themselves stuck in jams.
The extra journeys are in addition to the regular commuter traffic one would normally see on a Friday.
Saturday is also likely to be extremely busy, with the RAC estimating 3.2 million leisure journeys by car, followed by 2.2 million on Sunday.
The organisation estimates that a total of 34 million individual leisure trips will be made over a 16-day period from July 20 to August 4. July 28 is set to be the busiest day, when there are predicted to be 4.5 million leisure journeys.
Campsites across Shropshire were reporting strong demand for places.
Jane Shesson, who owns Greenway Touring and Glamping Park at Craven Arms said the park was fully booked for this weekend.
"Normally we're still taking calls on a Friday, and we are able to fit them in, but we were all booked by Wednesday this week," she said.
Mary Peacock of the Ebury Hill Camping and Caravanning Club at Haughton, near Shrewsbury, said she was expecting a busy weekend, although there would be places available.
"At the moment we get much more full up at the weekend than we do in the week because of all the wonderful weather," she said.
"We get a lot of people coming at the last minute."
Severn Valley Railway is expecting bumper numbers. It has lifted a ban on steam engines after carrying out a fire safety assessment.
Marketing manager Victoria Carman said: "We're expecting to be very busy.
"We're relaunching our steam services, we were only running diesel because of the hot weather, and we expect a lot of people will want to go for that.
"It's also the launch of our summer offer, so we're expecting lots of families."
Telford Steam Railway, which runs between Horsehay and Lawley, is expecting hundreds of visitors over the weekend.
"We have got a music festival on Sunday with Savannah, and we have got buskers on the trains," said commercial director Mark Paynter.
"July is always our busiest month, and were expecting between 300 and 500 on the Sunday, the more the merrier."
Phil Wright of the Baron of Bucknell hotel in south Shropshire, said the good weather had made a big difference.
"We're pretty full, it all makes a difference," he said.
RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said this time of year was always busy, and was expected to be more so due to the warm, dry weather.
"This weekend tends to be one of the busiest on the roads for leisure journeys, second only to Easter and Christmas," he said.
"On some popular routes, this may well mean gridlock, especially through the second half of Friday when commuters and holidaymakers will be sharing space on the same stretches of the UK's roads.
"As a result, it will almost certainly feel like a 'frantic Friday' for some."
Research compiled by the RAC and traffic data company Inrix suggest that the M6 southbound will be particularly hard hard hit between Warrington in the north and West Bromwich in the south.
Motorists have been told to allow an extra 44 minutes for the journey when traffic hits peak levels at 3.15 this afternoon.
Police issue caravan warning ahead of show
Caravans will be removed from the roads, if found to be not fit for purpose Dyfed-Powys Police has warned.
Anyone planning to take a caravan to the Royal Welsh Show, which opens on Monday, is being reminded that their caravan must be safe and roadworthy. Hundreds of people visiting the show, exhibiting or with a stand there, travel to Builth Wells and stay over in their caravans. Police say they aware that, for many, their caravans are used once a year to attend the event.
Chief Inspector Matt Scrase said: “This can often lead to caravans in desperate need of repair being taken on a road trip with no real consideration of whether it is safe to use.”
In the countdown to the show, officers have issued advice on how to make sure a caravan is fit for purpose. The roads policing team will also be working with DVSA officers to check caravans as they enter Builth Wells.
Chief Inspector Scrase said: “We see a high number of Royal Welsh Show visitors staying in touring caravans. Some bring caravans which I’m amazed even make the journey to the end of the road.
“This may be a cost-effective way for people to enjoy the full duration of what the Royal Welsh Show has to offer, but in all seriousness it could come with a high price if the condition of the caravan were to cause a collision or cause some sort of incident on the caravan site.
“I strongly advise people to use make sure their caravans are in a suitable condition.”
