Dutch holidaymakers have been warned that ‘black Saturday’ – the busiest weekend on France’s motorways – is expected to start on Friday afternoon this year.

Motoring organisation ANWB said the Dutch habit of travelling by night, or even setting off a day earlier, would not save drivers from the long queues that bring the French network to a standstill every August.

Switzerland and Germany are also likely to be affected by the traffic jams, which stretch to around 800 kilometres in total and are heaviest on southbound routes.

The longest tailbacks are expected to be around Paris and through the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland on Friday morning. Drivers are advised that the best way to avoid the misery is to delay their departure until after 10am on Saturday.

Local bottlenecks are also expected around weekend events in the Netherlands, including the Truckstar Festival in Assen and Rotterdam’s Zomercarnaval.