Thirteen million Brits to hit the roads for Christmas getaway

Thirteen millions drivers are expected to face gridlock on Britain's roads for the Christmas getaway.

A record number of air passengers are also set to descend on Gatwick Airport.

Drivers could face delays on the road of more than four hours as the festive getaway begins on December 20.

December 22 is set to be a peak day for travel as last-minute shoppers and revellers face train strikes, a recent study showed.

Meanwhile, more than four million people will fly out of London airports over the season as a "record" number escape to long-haul destinations on Christmas Day.

The equivalent of 13 million drivers will hit the roads on Friday, according to the AA.

In the survey of 18,547 AA members, 40 per cent said they will drive more than 20 miles as the festive weekend begins.

This marks the busiest time on the roads over Christmas as commuters share the road with last-minute shoppers, the survey found.

Planned industrial action on Virgin Trains West Coast on Friday could also bring more traffic to the road, the research said.

December 23 and Christmas Eve are also expected to be busy, with 35 per cent of drivers travelling on Saturday and 27 per cent on Christmas Eve, according to the survey.

Traffic is expected to begin from Wednesday, according to analytics company INRIX, with the worst delays possibly exceeding four hours.

The M6 Southbound will be the busiest road of the season on December 21, with queues potentially lasting up to five hours.

While the M25 between Merstham and Buckinghamshire is forecast to be really busy, with delays of up to four hours on December 17.