Good Friday got off to a busy start as motorists took to the roads for the Easter getaway.

Routes to holiday resorts on the south and south west coasts were particularly busy, with strike action by a French ferry company causing additional delays at the Port of Dover.

Kent police said Operation Stack, which sees trucks parking on the coast-bound M20, had been put in place because of industrial action by SeaFrance.

This is expected to be the busiest travelling day of the holiday period as an estimated 20 million people take to the roads and trains over the Easter break.

The Highways Agency said the morning had got off to a busy start although there were no major problems reported on the road network.

A spokesman said: "We've had a very busy start to the day, we've seen a lot of traffic on the roads as people head out to tourist destinations.

"We were expecting this as many people who finished work last night may have put travelling off until this morning."

Routes into traditional holiday hotspots such as Devon and Cornwall have been particularly busy as have routes into the Lake District and the seaside resort of Blackpool.

SeaFrance are taking tourist traffic but not freight, a Kent police spokeswoman said.

She said: "Because of industrial action by SeaFrance, Phase One of Operation Stack was started at 10.30am. Delays are likely at the Port of Dover and people are urged to check with their travel operator before setting out."