Roadworks suspended for Easter weekend

However restrictions will remain in place on some busy routes, including sections of the M25, the M1 and the M4.

The Highways Agency said roadworks at 272 English locations would be completed ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with 15 sets of roadworks and lane restrictions suspended.

The suspensions will last from 6am on Thursday, April 5, until midnight on Easter Monday, April 9.

Sites where roadworks will remain for safety reasons include 23 miles of the M62 near Leeds, 22 miles of the M1 near Luton in Bedfordshire, an 11-mile stretch of the M25 near St Albans in Hertfordshire, and 11 miles of the M4 near west London.

Roads Minister Mike Penning said: “I advise Easter holidaymakers, day trippers and anyone else planning to travel over the bank holiday weekend, to check weather and travel conditions before setting off.”

The Highways Agency said Maundy Thursday evening, April 5, and Easter Monday afternoon were likely to be the busiest over the bank holiday weekend, especially on the main holiday routes, as people set out and return from short breaks or day trips.

Heathrow is expecting its busiest day of the Easter school holiday break to be this Friday, when 220,000 people will pass through the west London airport

Between this Friday and Good Friday, April 6, Heathrow will handle more than 1.6 million passengers, with the total for March 30 to Sunday April 15 being 3.4 million.

Rail travellers will once again have to contend with engineering work over Easter, with nearly every train company having to bring in buses to replace services on some routes.

However the Association of Train Operating Companies and Network Rail have said the vast majority of passengers will be unaffected by the Easter work.