WITH an estimated 17.6 million leisure journeys forecast for the August Bank Holiday weekend, breakdown provider Start Rescue is warning drivers not to make congestion worse by "hogging" the motorway middle lane.

"Some delays are unavoidable when millions of us hit the road at once, but middle-lane hogging makes matters far worse," explained Lee Puffett, managing director of Start Rescue, "By sitting stubbornly in the middle lane, drivers force others to switch across two or even three lanes to overtake, clogging up the outside lane. That's how queues build, tempers fray, and accidents happen."

The Highway Code is clear - motorists should "keep left unless overtaking", yet many still sit in the middle for miles at a time, oblivious to the problems they are causing behind them.

Since 2013, middle-lane hogging has been a punishable offence, with police able to issue on-the-spot £100 fines and three penalty points.

This year's Bank Holiday is set to be one of the busiest on record, with 3 million trips expected on Friday and a peak of 3.4 million on Saturday.

The M5 from Bristol to Devon and the M20 towards Dover and Folkestone are expected to be among the worst-affected stretches, with delays of over 40 minutes in places.

With a UK-wide team of vehicle recovery professionals offering in-depth knowledge of the road network, Start Rescue reminds motorists that motorways aren't the only option for long trips.

The UK has nearly 30,000 miles of A roads, covering around 13 per cent of the road network.

"Motorways may be the quickest option on paper, but at peak times the opposite is often true. A roads can provide a calmer alternative for those who don't feel comfortable driving on Motorways, with lighter traffic and plenty of places to stop, plus the advantage of non-motorway fuel prices. In addition, planning your journey with live traffic updates can save you both stress and time."

Start Rescue's top tips for bank holiday drivers:

Start Rescue has a 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot, a five-star Defaqto* rating and has achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for six years running.