The AA is warning that bank holiday traffic could impact the roads in Andover and Basingstoke.

Both towns have been seeing increased traffic for the past couple of days following an accident on A303 that killed three people.

The motorway was closed between the A3057 junction and the A3093 junction for at least 21 hours from Wednesday morning, causing a domino effect on the traffic through other major roads.

And that's without throwing CarFest into the mix, taking place at Laverstoke today (Friday). 

With a bank holiday weekend to follow, it is expected that both towns will see increased traffic for another four days.

An AA spokesperson said: “With traffic back to pre-pandemic levels, we expect to see the A303 busy with those flocking to the coast and countryside.

"If there are major delays on the main roads and motorways, it could quickly trickle down into town centres with Andover and Basingstoke seeing more traffic than normal.

“We’re advising drivers to perform basic maintenance checks on their cars, be sure to pack the essentials and check your route before setting off. Even if you plan to stay in the local area it’s best to be prepared and plan ahead.”

Bank holiday road trips are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this weekend but fewer travellers than normal will be going for the long drives, an AA research has revealed.

Feedback from 14,759 AA members last week showed that 42 per cent have planned or have in mind a bank holiday getaway. That points to 13.3 million cars on road trips celebrating the end of summer.

That percentage is significantly up on the 37 per cent of bank holiday road trippers last year but back to where the UK was in 2019.