Holidaymakers have been warned of long delays as part of the M25 will close for a whole weekend.

Britain’s busiest motorway will shut in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 from 9pm on Friday, March 15, to 6am on Monday, March 18, for demolition works.

National Highways has warned drivers that the closure in Surrey could affect journeys to Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, as well as the Channel ports.

More than 200,000 vehicles are thought to be impacted and congestion is expected on the rest of the motorway and surrounding roads.

Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead, said: "Drivers should only use the M25 if their journey is absolutely necessary.

"We have spent months planning for these closures and making sure there are diversion routes in place, but there will still be heavy congestion and delays."

The section between junctions nine and eleven typically sees 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction between 10am and 9pm on the weekends.

It’s the first time the M25 will shut for an entire weekend, and is the first of five instances planned from March to September.

The highways board will use the weekend closure to demolish a bridge between Wisley and Chertsey and install a gantry as part of a £317m project.