Drivers are being told to expect and prepare for long queues across the UK as millions are set to take to roads over the Christmas weekend.
With the festive season generally known to make roads nationwide busier than usual as a given, but this year, with congestion expected to be impacted further due to the ongoing strike action by thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail - which means train services with finish at around 3pm on Christmas Eve - The AA has now issued a warning to anyone making a journey this weekend.
The AA says it expects today (23 December) will be the busiest day on the roads this week, with an estimated 16.9 million journeys being made across the UK.
On top of this, a further 16.6 million are then expected to be made on Christmas Eve.
Drivers told to expect 'long queues' as millions take to the roads this Christmas weekend / Credit: Vladimir Proskurovskiy (via Unsplash)
Adding to the AA's warning, the RAC has also revealed when it expects roads will be busiest, and which roads are likely to be the most affected.
Roads are expected to be the busiest between 10am and 7pm today (Friday), which for many is the last working day before Christmas, while the roads named as likely to be the most affected by congestion include the M25, the M60 near Manchester, the M6 in North West England, and the M40 in Oxfordshire.
Rail strikes are not the only industrial action expected to affect traffic on the roads either, with those travelling by air also having been told to expect delays as Border Force staff at several major airports across the UK are currently striking over the festive period too.
Of course, with this Christmas also being the first in recent years to be unaffected by COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and measures in place, transport analytics company Inrix has said it expects journey times to be around 14% longer compared to the same period last year thanks to post-pandemic traffic numbers.
More than 33 million journeys are expected to be made over the next three days / Credit: iStock
In a bid to help ease festive traffic, National Highways has confirmed that almost 98% of England's motorways and major A-roads will be fully open until the end of 2 January due to it completing and lifting roadworks.
"We are advising those heading out in their cars to be prepared for some congestion," explained Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy at The AA.
"The rail strikes have convinced more people to travel by car this year, and while hundreds of miles of roadworks have been removed to ease the pain, it might not be enough to keep the queues away."
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said that there will be "two frantic days of travelling just before Christmas".
Featured Image - The AA
News
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd December 2022 
