Motorists are being warned to expect travel chaos this weekend as the end of school term sparks the traditional Great British summer holiday getaway.

Nearly nine million vehicles are expected to be heading for holiday destinations from Friday through to Sunday, according to the RAC.

Data from RAC Traffic Watch shows the peak of the weekend's travel will be on Saturday with 3.4million heavily-laden vehicles making a dash for it.

On Friday, 2.5million cars will vie for road space with commuters, while on Sunday 2.8million vehicles are expected to be en route to their holiday destinations or making the most of a warm July weekend.

Based on the travel plans of over 3,100 UK motorists, the RAC predicts there will be as many as 36.5m leisure journeys made over the 17-day period from Friday, 21 July to Sunday, 6 August.

But no one day will see more holiday traffic than this Saturday, which marks the beginning of the six-week summer school holidays for most families.

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: "This weekend will bring unwelcome customary chaos to Britain's major roads as people flock to take advantage of the first week or two of the summer holidays on home soil.

"While not as busy as Easter, which is typically the pinnacle of leisure traffic due to it being the first break for several months, the Great British summer holiday getaway begins with an initial rush for the roads this weekend as that's when the majority of schools break up.

"But, unlike any other time of year, the country's major tourist routes will remain steadily busy through the rest of the six weeks, never more so than at the weekend with traffic toing and froing from major holiday locations.

"Sadly, for many the very much-needed family summer holiday might begin stressfully as long tailbacks are inevitable, particularly in the South West on the M5, which is the main conduit to the beaches of Devon and Cornwall, although for drivers heading into Cornwall the opening of a new stretch of dual carriageway on the A30 west of Temple should give some relief to the queues.

"The best advice is always to try to travel when the vast majority of motorists aren't - very early in the morning or late in the evening - but for many, of course, this is just not possible, nor practical.

"So if you are one vehicle in the 3.4m making a leisure journey on Saturday a healthy dose of patience is going to be required, and keeping everyone in the car happy will be key to that.

"Family in-car entertainment aside, there's nothing worse than suffering an unexpected breakdown en route to your holiday destination, so carrying out some basic vehicle checks before setting out might just help avoid a bad start to that well-earned summer break."

Anticipated worst times to travel on the roads:

• Friday, 21 July between 1pm and 8pm

• Saturday, 22 July between 11am and 4pm

• Sunday, 23 July between 11am and 4pm

Anticipated traffic hotspots:

• M5 Almondsbury Interchange and from Bristol to Taunton

• A30 and A38 Exeter to Cornwall

• A303 Andover to Ilminster

• M4 between Cardiff and Swansea

• M25 between Gatwick and M1

• A23/M23 to Brighton

• A34 and M3 south and south west to the south coast

• A47 Swaffham to Great Yarmouth

• A11 Thetford to Norwich

• M55 between Preston and Blackpool

• A14 between the Midlands and the east coast

• A590/A591 between the M6 and the Lake District

• A66 between M6 and the coast

• M53 between Liverpool and Chester

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