With another hot week forecast for large parts of the UK, Highways England has issued a plea to drivers - and advice on how motorists can deal with the sweltering conditions.
With the easing of restrictions on Monday coupled with schools breaking up for the summer, roads are likely to be extremely busy in the coming days.
Earlier this week the Met Office issued a first ever amber alert for extreme hot weather covering the South West, large parts of Wales and parts of southern and central England lasting until later this week.
As a result the following advice has been given.
Before heading out on journeys:
- Take bottles of water with you to ensure you stay hydrated;
- Plan and leave plenty of time for journeys;
- Check the weather forecast for your destination;
- Check travel conditions before setting out and, where it is safe to do so, during journeys;
- Ensure you and your cars are fit for the journey - https://highwaysengland.co.uk/safetychecks/
"Safety is our top priority and we want all drivers to safely reach their destinations during the hot weather.
"I would urge people to prepare for their journey by stocking up on water, checking their vehicles, particularly tyre pressures and tread, oil levels and coolant," said Dan Lacey, Highways England National Network Manager.
"As a company, we are making preparations for the safety of our roadworkers operating in extreme heat, and we ask people travelling on our network to be equally prepared.
"During the pandemic and foreign travel restrictions, we are seeing a lot of people making staycation journeys, particularly to the South West.
"We and our recovery partners are responding to an increasing number of breakdowns, so we’re asking people to check their vehicles, assess travel conditions before they set off and be prepared."
Further weather advice and information can be found on the Met Office website. Highways England will also be providing regular traffic updates on its regional Twitter feeds#
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