Travellers face disruption on the railways and jams on the roads during the Easter holidays.

As is usual during bank holiday periods, there is a large programme of engineering work on the railways with a number of major routes affected.

The Easter holiday see no Southeastern train company services running to or from the London stations of Charing Cross, Waterloo East or Cannon Street.

Major work at Watford in Hertfordshire means that there will be no Virgin or London Midland trains able to run in and out of London's Euston station between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Virgin trains will run no further south than Milton Keynes, Rugby or Northampton while there will be no direct London Midland services between Euston and Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.

Virgin is "strongly recommending" that passengers do not travel between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

On the roads, traffic information company Inrix is predicting that the worst-affected congestion hotspots in south east and south west England could be twice as busy as last Easter.

The company reckons those heading by road to Gatwick and Heathrow airports on Thursday could face up to four times the standard journey time, with a typical 30-minute journey around the western section of the M25 taking up to two hours.

Inrix said the busiest days will be Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Inrix traffic analyst Greg Hallsworth said: "On the one hand, increased traffic on the roads, railways and public transport signifies good news for the economy, with more people travelling and increasing numbers of goods being moved across the country.

"For those planning an Easter weekend getaway, our advice is to check before you travel.

"With rail closures, diversions and huge numbers of vehicles on the roads, many routes will be busier than usual."