Travel news - as it happened: Motorway chaos and flight delays on busiest day of the year

This weekend expecting to be one of the busiest of the year for travel

Motorways were gridlocked and holidaymakers faced delays at airports during Britain's busiest day for travel of the year.

The start of the school holidays in England and Wales on Friday saw millions of extra journeys made by car across the country on what the RAC has described as “Frantic Friday”.

Major routes to holiday popular holiday destinations in the south west, including Devon and Cornwall, saw average delays to travel times of well over an hour.

Several routes through Somerset, including the M5 motorway, as well as the M3 in southern England, were snarled up as millions attempt to make their way to the coast.

Meanwhile, the UK’s airports saw high numbers of passengers jetting off for summer breaks abroad.

Around 2.5 million British holidaymakers will head overseas this weekend, with Spain the most popular destination, according to trade body ABTA.

More than half a million will depart from Heathrow alone, while a further 250,000 fly from Gatwick, 148,000 from Stansted and 88,000 from Luton. Outside of London, there will be 160,000 people flying from Manchester and 67,500 from Birmingham.

At least 24 flights were cancelled due to strike action by Ryanair pilots, grounding services between London and Dublin over a dispute involving annual leave arrangements.

Follow the latest Frantic Friday travel news live here:

Key Points

• Gridlock feared as RAC predicts 3.8 million extra car journeys  at start of school summer break
• M5 one of worst-affected major routes, with long tailbacks already forming in south west England
• Ryanair cancels 24 flights between London and Dublin as pilots stage latest strike
• Major delays at Gatwick after plane makes emergency landing at UK's busiest holiday airport

[20 July 2018 15:19 · Jon di Paolo]

No sign of the incident that's causing long delays on the M25 in Essex being resolved just yet:

[20 July 2018 15:37 · Jon di Paolo]

Remember, this is what you can do if your flight has been cancelled today due to the Ryanair pilot strike:

[20 July 2018 16:26 · Samuel Osborne]

All lanes on the J19 are now open after they were closed while a car on the central reservation was removed.

Highways England cautioned motorists to expect long delays back to the M1.