Leeds Festival: Traffic warning as scale of roads impact revealed

Leeds Festival takes place from 25 to 27 August

Leeds Festival has the second biggest impact on traffic on England's motorways and major roads of any event, National Highways has said.

The organisation said only the British Grand Prix generated more traffic.

People travelling to the event at Bramham Park, near Leeds, have been urged to plan their journeys ahead of the festival, which starts on Friday.

The A1, A1(M), M1, M62 and A64 near the site will be busy from Wednesday to Monday, a spokesperson warned.

Additional bank holiday weekend travellers and roadworks on the A1 Wentbridge Viaduct near Pontefract and the M1 near Lofthouse are expected to create additional delays, National Highways said.

Operations manager Dave Skupski said: "Leeds Festival has the second biggest impact on traffic on our network after the British Grand Prix. It's a huge event with up to 90,000 people expected to attend."

He asked drivers to leave extra time for their journeys, avoid travelling during busier times at the start and end of the three-day festival, and to follow signs rather than their sat-navs.

Roads around the festival site are expected to be busy, National Highways warned

Traffic is expected to be particularly heavy between junctions 43 and 47 of the A1(M) and on the westbound carriageway of the A64 near Bramham.

Extra traffic patrols will be in place around junction 44, Mr Skupski said, and there are no roadworks in the immediate area around the site.

"We've been working closely with Festival Republic, West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council to plan our traffic management and keep disruption to a minimum," he said.

There will be no through route from junction 47 of the M1 to junction 44 of the A1(M), near Aberford Village, throughout the festival.

The northbound exit slip road at junction 45 of the A1(M) will be shut from 04:00 BST to 14:00 on Monday while traffic leaves the event.

The A64 will be closed eastbound from Red Bus Layby to junction 44 and the westbound carriageway at the junction 44 roundabout will only be used for drivers dropping off or picking people up at the festival.