Motorists travelling across the UK over the August bank holiday weekend are being told to plan ahead as the AA issues an amber traffic warning.
With the sun set to shine and the temperatures forecast to soar, those hitting the roads nationwide are being warned to prepare for delays on major routes as nearly half of the UK’s drivers are expected to get behind the wheel over the upcoming bank holiday weekend – with around 15 million leisure trips thought to be planned between Friday and Monday.
The AA said it expects leisure traffic to peak on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.
Some of the routes flagged as potentially being the busiest by the AA include the M62 between Liverpool and Manchester, the M4/M5 interchange near Bristol, the M1 between the M25 and Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, and the M6/M42 interchange in Birmingham.
Families returning from their summer holidays before the new school year starts, festivalgoers, and those heading out on day trips are expected to contribute to an influx in traffic.
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Some of the events taking place this weekend include Reading and Leeds Festivals, Creamfields festival in Daresbury, Moovin Festival in Stockport, and a range of local food and drink festivals, as well as the closing weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Around 15 million leisure trips are thought to be planned this August bank holiday weekend / Credit: Malc McDonald (via Geograph)
There’s also a full programme of football fixtures, and an England v South Africa cricket Test match at Emirates Old Trafford here in Manchester too.
“This year we are predicting up to 15 million journeys will be made over the August bank holiday, as families make the most of the warm weather and have a last hurrah before the new school year,” explained Sean Sidley from AA.
“With events and festivals fully back to normal, localised congestion will peak at closing time around major venues, but the rest of the UK could see peak journeys throughout Saturday.
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“Traffic is likely to build again from Monday afternoon and into Tuesday, so allow plenty of time if you’re travelling then, [and] routes to and from coastal resorts and beauty spots will be among the busiest, so drivers should plan ahead for the journey and check your car before you go.”
Featured Image – NIC
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd August 2022 
