Dozens of road closures across Britain are LIFTED for Easter weekend in huge boost for drivers – check your journey

MOTORISTS will benefit from thousands of miles of roadworks being lifted ahead of the Easter getaway.

Workers will down tools across 1,127 miles of repairs nationwide to get the country moving across the four-day break.

Estimates from the AA say more than 19 million drivers will make car trips on Good Friday, 18.5 million people will drive on Easter Saturday and 18.2 million on Sunday and Monday.

Around 97 per cent of major roads across England will be completely free from roadworks helping to speed up journeys.

Significant routes being lifted or completed by big getaway include 130 miles on the M25, 100 miles on the M1 between London and Chesterfield and 31 miles between Great Yarmouth and Peterborough.

Ministers say they can save drivers £500 per year through £59 on the fuel duty freeze along with filling in potholes which can cost families £460 in repairs.

National Highways are relaunching their ‘TRIP’ campaign to prevent breakdowns calling on drivers to top-up their fuel, rest, inspect tyres, and prepare for all weather conditions.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “We are tackling the real problems that drivers face by lifting 1,127 miles of roadworks over Easter and cracking down on disruptive streetworks to make journeys to see loved ones as smooth as possible.

“This Government is also saving drivers up to £500 a year, with councils soon to receive their record £1.6 billion pothole funding and the continued freeze on fuel duty.”

Meanwhile, a new measure to implement a digital service to speed up roadworks and reduce accidental strikes on underground pipes which currently amounts to 60,000 per year will be brought in – costing the UK economy £2.4 billion each year.

The National Underground Asset Register will create a map of the country’s underground pipes and cables allowing construction workers to see their exact location rather than the current time frame of six days.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Technology must be first and foremost used to make people’s lives better, and that includes tackling the misery of traffic caused by road works.”

Fines of up to £10,000 a day for utility companies whose work that overrun will also apply at  weekends and bank holidays in addition to weekdays under government plans.