Avoid weekend motorway travel

SATURDAY marks the annual crossover of July and August holidaymakers in France, and is set to be the busiest day of the year for motorway travel.

Traffic monitor Bison Futé has classified tomorrow as “black” - meaning that more than 600km of jams are forecast on roads leading out of big towns and towards the coast.

It warned of travel blackspots on the A86, A6B, A10 and A6, and has advised motorists to wait until the afternoon to leave or cross the Ile-de-France.

Heading in the other direction, Saturday is classified as "red", with traffic expected to be particularly heavy between 2pm and 7pm. Drivers are advised to put off travelling until Sunday where possible, although jams are still likely then, notably in the morning and early afternoon.

Anyone trying to avoid the worst of the traffic by getting away a few hours early should be advised that today is rated “orange” for traffic levels on the roads.

The volume of traffic on the roads is not the only problem travellers may face.

Following the closure of the A9 near Narbonne on Wednesday, part of the same route between Montpellier and Sete was closed for several hours yesterday as firefighters put out a scrubland blaze.

As reported, anyone hoping for a clean getaway at airports in the country should brace for delays as ground staff are set to walk out at 1am tomorrow in the latest phase of a long-running dispute over working conditions.

Meanwhile, SNCF has warned anyone travelling by train in the southwest to expect delays as storms are forecast to hit nine departments in the region from this afternoon.

Photo: Phillip Capper