BUSY roads and rail track closures combined with fine weather look set to create chaos for travellers this Bank Holiday weekend.

York motorists are being urged to set off early to avoid the crowds heading to the seaside.

Denise Raven, an AA spokeswoman for Yorkshire, said: "Traffic will all depend on the weather.

"If the weather is good, everyone will head to the coast, so the roads will be very busy up to Whitby and down to Hull. Roads into the Moors and the Dales will also be busy.

"But if it's wet, people will stay closer to home, and so York's roads will fill up, both in the city centre and the out-of-town shopping centres.

"The A1 will definitely get busy from lunchtime today onwards, as will the A64, with people heading up to Scotland or down south, often with caravans, whatever the weather."

She urged drivers to start their journeys early. She said: "If you can leave this afternoon you will have a much easier run. Tomorrow, you will have to set off before 9am to avoid the jams. If you can travel during the evening or at night you might find conditions better."

A spokesman for PA Weather said the weekend was expected to be mostly dry with sunny spells and light winds, although there could be some patchy rain on Sunday afternoon. Temperatures will be around average for the time of year, reaching about 19C.

More than 15 million tourists will head for Britain's seaside over the weekend, according to a survey from the Mint credit card company. The survey found Whitby is the country's third favourite seaside resort, just behind Brighton and Blackpool.

Amanda Smith, marketing manager for Yorkshire Tourist Board, said: "We have had a steady stream of inquiries on our information line this week, so we're hopeful that there'll be plenty of visitors to North Yorkshire over the weekend."

On the trains, track upgrades around the country will see diversions and delays all over the network.

Rail passengers travelling to and from York could be affected by major engineering work. Extensive changes will be made to Virgin Trains with replacement buses being provided in some cases.

All rail travellers are advised to check their journeys before setting off by phoning National Rail Inquiries on 08457 484950.

Updated: 08:23 Friday, August 27, 2004