Highways England urges drivers to be prepared for hot weather

With hot weather forecast throughout the week, Highways England is advising drivers of a number of steps which can be taken to deal with the hot conditions.

The Met Office has this week issued a first ever amber alert for extreme hot weather covering the South West, large parts of Wales and parts of southern and central England, until later this week.

Following the easing of restrictions, and the beginning of some school holidays, more and more people are taking to the roads for domestic holidays and other journeys, and in line with the Met Office alert, Highways England is asking people to be prepared.

Before heading out on journeys:

• Take bottles of water with you to ensure you stay hydrated;
• Plan and leave plenty of time for journeys;
• Check the weather forecast for your destination;
• Check travel conditions before setting out and, where it is safe to do so, during journeys;
• Ensure you and your cars are fit for the journey – https://highwaysengland.co.uk/safetychecks/.

Dan Lacey, Highways England National Network Manager, said: “Safety is our top priority and we want all drivers to safely reach their destinations during the hot weather. I would urge people to prepare for their journey by stocking up on water, checking their vehicles, particularly tyre pressures and tread, oil levels and coolant.

“As a company, we are making preparations for the safety of our roadworkers operating in extreme heat, and we ask people travelling on our network to be equally prepared.

“During the pandemic and foreign travel restrictions, we are seeing a lot of people making staycation journeys, particularly to the South West. We and our recovery partners are responding to an increasing number of breakdowns, so we’re asking people to check their vehicles, assess travel conditions before they set off and be prepared.”

Further weather advice and information can be found on the Met Office website here. Highways England will also be providing regular traffic updates on its regional Twitter feeds: @HighwaysSWEST, @HighwaysEAST, @HighwaysSEAST, @HighwaysWMIDS

To keep informed about driving conditions during their journeys, drivers are advised to follow messages on the overhead signs and listen to radio updates. Further information can be found by visiting the www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or calling the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.