“The four-day bank holiday weekend is expected to be the busiest Easter on the roads in four years, despite a surge in fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.”

“Drivers are planning nearly 21m leisure journeys between Thursday and Easter Monday, according to a study by the RAC and the traffic analytics specialists Inrix.”

“Just over half of people expect to travel short distances of under 50 miles. About one in five plan to visit friends and family, one in 10 want to head outdoors for walking or cycling, and 5% expect to visit DIY stores or garden centres.”

“Network Rail has alerted travellers to “lots of planned essential engineering works and upgrades” over the bank holiday weekend, which is likely to increase road traffic. Engineers will work on more than 270 upgrade projects across Britain over Easter.”

“The Association of British Travel Agents said most of those whose trips had been affected by the war had switched to alternative destinations including the western Mediterranean, Caribbean, and direct-flight long-haul trips to Thailand and South Africa.”

“The RAC said nearly a third of drivers (31%) were increasingly worried about higher fuel costs since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February.”

“With the price of crude oil soaring above $100 a barrel, the average price of petrol in the UK has risen above 150p a litre for the first time since May 2024, according to the RAC.”

“Filling up a 55-litre family car with diesel this Easter will cost at least £19 more than it did on Good Friday last year, while a tank of petrol will be almost £8 more, with further increases likely.”