The Great Christmas Getaway: Millions take to the roads, rails and skies ahead of the festive period

Millions have taken to the roads, rails and skies to see their families for the festive period, making it the busiest Christmas getaway day of any year since records began in 2010.

Train operators, car organisations and airpots all forecast a "frantic Friday" with at least 23.7 million planned journeys as revellers sought to get ahead of weather warnings for the weekend.

Yellow warnings for wind have been issued in the North West and the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.

Sunday's warning will also include London, the South East and South West, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.

The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, the Met Office said, but the weather will be "exceptionally mild" by Christmas Day.

Almost 30 million people will travel during the Christmas period, with 14.3m of those travelling over the weekend, according to data from the RAC and travel analytics company INRIX.

How likely are we to see a white Christmas in the UK this year

The AA highlighted the areas most likely face congestion on “frantic Friday.”

Friday afternoon will be the worst time to travel ahead of Christmas, IINRIX warned, as traffic jams hit England’s motorways.

According to their data, delays of 45 minutes are likely on many of England’s busiest roads.

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: "Our research suggests that with Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, many drivers will be squeezing in their getaway trips right up until the big day itself.

"While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, 'Snarl-up Saturday' looks particularly challenging as does Christmas Eve. Travelling outside peak hours might be the only way drivers miss the worst of the jams."

It comes as the Met Office issued weather warnings ahead of Christmas, bringing the risk of further travel delays during the festive period.