Highways England is advising motorists to plan their journeys ahead of this weekend’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.

The annual event in Gloucestershire attracts crowds of up to 200,000 people over the three days.

Queues of more than two hours made motorists' lives miserable last year. Traffic volumes are once again likely to be high along the A417 and A419 today and over the weekend, particularly around Cirencester and Cricklade.

The showground opens from 7.30am until 6.30pm on the Friday and from 7.30am until 7.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Route signage and messaging will be in place for all air tattoo traffic, and Highways England is keen to make all motorists aware of increased volumes on the A417 and A419 along with M5 junction 11A and M4 junction 15 as people make their way to the showground.

Highways England’s south west emergency planning officer Gareth Price said: “Traffic management is once again in place for safety and to keep disruption to a minimum.

"We advise all road users to check our traffic and travel information channels, set off early and allow plenty of time for their journeys.”

Highways England provides live traffic information via its website at www.trafficengland.com as well as from a mobile phone or tablet at m.highways.gov.uk.

Travel information is also available by phone from the Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 and regular updates will be provided via Twitter at HighwaysSWEST.