Drivers are facing 45-minute delays near the Dartford Tunnel this afternoon at the end of the Bank Holiday weekend.

There are reports of queueing traffic on the M25 anti-clockwise at J1A of the A206 Bob Dunn Way in Swanscombe.

There is congestion to Junction 3 for the M20 at the Swanley interchange.

Kent Police has been contacted for comment.

As of 8pm, traffic had returned to normal.

It comes as the AA has said traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels with a “perfect storm” of congestion over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The return of music festivals, international travel restrictions and scepticism about the safety of public transport will lead to 18.4 million car journeys being made over the three-day period, according to the motoring association.

The number of cars on the road will increase by 37% on last year’s August Bank Holiday weekend total, according to the AA, after 2020 was severely affected by coronavirus restrictions.

"There are likely to be big delays on the roads..."

Friday evening saw “bumper-to-bumper” traffic on many of the country’s motorways – including the M1, M5, M6, M25 and M56 – as many people left on their getaways, and the AA said more gridlock will follow today.

Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “There are likely to be big delays on the roads where holiday traffic mixes with sporting or shopping day trippers.

“Covid’s disruption to people’s lives is still noticeable in the 10% fewer long-distance trippers this August. The drop in longer trips might be due to the difficulty in booking accommodation away from home due to more families taking their holidays in the UK.”

Routes touted for congestion are classic congestion hotspots like the M25, M5 and A303, but the AA stressed that many holidaymakers have driven to destinations within 50 miles of their home.

The organisation said places like Cornwall, Norfolk and the Kent coast could experience localised gridlock.

Non-league football fixtures today could also spell delays on the roads.

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