Hampshire drivers have been given a warning about potential delays and queues on major motorways in the pre-Christmas period.

In particular, the M3 has been highlighted as one major road that could be especially busy.

As Christmas falls mid-week this year, figures from the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) suggest there will be an extended period of ‘pre-Christmas panic’ on the roads.

Around 5.7 million trips are expected to be taken this Wednesday and Thursday (December 18 and 19) alone.

Data provided by transport analytics specialists INRIX indicates lengthy jams are expected over the December 20-22 weekend.

In a statement, they said: "On Friday, queues of more than 45 minutes are likely in the evening on the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire between the M25 in west London and the south coast, and on the M25 anticlockwise from the junction with the M1 near Watford to the M23 for Gatwick Airport as drivers leave the capital for the south coast or jet off for some winter sun."

On Friday and Saturday, the worst time to travel along major routes will be between 1pm and 7pm.

Both the RAC and INRIX suggest drivers set off early in the morning, or later in the evening when the heaviest of the traffic should have subsided.

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “Our research suggests that with Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, many drivers will be squeezing in their getaway trips right up until the big day itself.

"While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, ‘Snarl-up Saturday’ looks particularly challenging as does Christmas Eve.

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"Travelling outside peak hours might be the only way drivers miss the worst of the jams. Planned rail strikes are also likely to add to the misery.

“There’s also no sign of traffic letting up throughout the Christmas period especially as there are major rail engineering works taking place on routes into London and Cheshire.

"It’s well worth drivers being aware of these and the knock-on effect they’ll have on the roads as the affected lines serve larger areas across the South West, South East and North West."