A guide to August Bank Holiday travel in the South East

People travelling over the August Bank Holiday are being warned to expect busy roads and some rail line closures due to engineering works.

The south-east of England is expected to have some of the busiest roads in the country, as well as major transport hubs including Gatwick Airport and the Port of Dover, connecting the UK to mainland Europe.

We take a look at what travellers can expect over the long weekend:

The RAC says it estimates 20 million leisure trips will be made by car between Friday and Monday, as the summer holidays draw to a conclusion.

RAC breakdown spokesperson Harriet Hernando said: "Drivers should be ready for frantic Friday and think about setting off before 10am if they can.

"If the warm weather continues, people should be prepared in case they get caught in a traffic jam, by carrying plenty of water."

Transport analytics company Inrix identified a number of likely congestion hotspots, with the M25 anticlockwise from Junction 17 in Hertfordshire to Junction 12 in Surrey expected to be busy.

In Kent, Operation Brock - a contraflow system on the M20 coast-bound - has been removed from the early, as the Kent Resilience Forum says it is confident with regards to traffic flows for the remainder of the summer.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queuing on one side of the M20 in an attempt to ease congestion.

Gatwick Airport says it has already experienced the peak of the summer - where 900 flights were scheduled to operate on the first, second and third Sundays of August.

Anyone intending to travel by plane over the long weekend is being encouraged by the airport to plan journeys in advance and book parking through the airport.

They have also been reminded to arrive when check-in opens - typically two hours before short-haul flights and three hours before long-haul flights.

The Port of Dover says that numbers of passengers this weekend are lower compared to previous weekends in the summer, but are still comparable to August bank holiday's year on year.

It says about 3,500 cars are expected daily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A spokesperson for the port said: "Arrive at the port no more than two hours before a pre-booked sailing, and stick to the main routes (A20 and A2) to the port, to keep the town free-flowing for residents and businesses."

• Southeastern will run a Saturday service on bank holiday Monday.
• The line between Lewisham and Hayes is closed throughout the whole weekend, with buses replacing trains.
• Thameslink and Southern services will run to an "amended" timetable on Monday.
• On Saturday and Sunday, some late night trains between Brighton and Worthing/Littlehampton will be replaced by a bus.
• Trains from Tattenham Corner/Caterham will terminate at Tulse Hill due to track renewal work between London Bridge and Tulse Hill.
• The line between Lewes and Haywards Heath remains closed until Tuesday, as repairs to the railway continue following a derailment.
• The South Western Railway line between Farnham and Alton will be closed all weekend, with buses replacing trains.
• All lines through Effingham Junction are also closed all weekend, with trains diverted and buses in operation.
• Great Western Railway services between Gatwick Airport and Reading might be busier than usual due to the Reading Festival taking place.

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