People are being warned not to travel on major routes across the north west of England to avoid the worst of the predicted Christmas holiday traffic.

Drivers have been urged to avoid the M53 from Chester to Liverpool for six hours on Friday and then again on Saturday, while signalling work at Crewe means rail users will see delays and cancellations on services through to the town to Liverpool, Manchester and the wider North-West.

The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix said roads were likely to be busiest between 13:00 and 19:00 GMT on both days.

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, snarl-up Saturday looks particularly challenging, as does Christmas Eve.”