PEOPLE hoping to get away this bank holiday weekend are being warned of potential problems on roads and rail over Easter.

As part of the ongoing redevelopment work to increase capacity at Reading train station, to increase capacity, work will cause disruption to services to and from London Paddington, including those from Swindon.

Network Rail will be attempting to keep commuters abreast of any problems and highlighting the work’s progress by live tweeting from Reading station throughout the weekend.

The work will see timetable changes run from Good Friday until Easter Monday.

Anyone who wishes to follow the progress can visit the @networkrailgwrm Twitter account.

“We are acutely aware that some of our work could inconvenience those who want to travel over the Easter period," said Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western route.

"That is why we want to be open and provide the public with live information about how we are using this time to make improvements to this part of the network. Once completed, this package of work will deliver immediate benefits for the many thousands of passengers who travel through the Thames Valley and into London.

"These include reduced journey times, greater reliability and ultimately a better travelling experience.

“This is our most ambitious package of improvement work to date and with 1,200 engineers working 97,000 hours over Easter, we definitely have a story to tell.”

Train journeys are expected to take longer, with routes being diverted through Oxford.

A replacement bus service will be running for anyone wishing to travel to Reading.

Meanwhile, motorists are being warned to plan ahead when travelling on the region’s motorways this weekend.

Pete Williams, an RAC spokesman, said: “The first spring bank holiday of the year traditionally heralds the start of busier weekends on the nation’s roads.

“This Easter is set to be a hectic one with 16 million of us getting behind the wheel for an Easter break, but at least we will benefit from the longer days and lighter evenings to complete our journeys.”

Earlier this week, strong winds hit the region with commuters being asked to check the weather forecast before travelling.

Mark Spowage, an AA spokesman, said: “Despite a rather unsettled forecast, we expect a lot of people to get away this Easter as it falls quite early this year.

“There will be a lot of pressure on the main getaway routes, particularly in the south west.

"Do the essential checks on your car before heading off.”