Congestion means drivers need to allow an extra 41 minutes for a one-hour journey to make appointments on time, says The AA.

Statistics from the Department for Transport show that last year the congestion and traffic jams on motorways and A-roads added an average of 69% additional time to their journeys.

Edmund King, AA President, said: “The reliability of travel times on our motorways and A-roads has got worse over the course of 2016.

“Drivers are frustrated that for a journey which should take them one hour, if there is traffic, they would need to leave 41 minutes early just to get to their appointment on time.

“Increases in the number of light goods vehicles, supermarket deliveries and the worsening state of our roads have all contributed in worsening journey times.

“Also contributing to expanding travel times are long and extensive motorway roadworks and delays in re-opening lanes after an incident.

“It is little wonder that Britain was found to have the worst levels of traffic in Western Europe earlier this week.

“The Government is currently spending billions of pounds on trying to tackle the levels of congestion, but there is no silver bullet to resolve the problem.

“Investing in public transport and employers implementing flexible hours or home working could have a positive impact in easing the strain on our roads.”