Londoners trying leaving the city for the Bank Holiday weekend face travel chaos today, with increased congestion on the roads and disruption to rail services.

A massive engineering effort will mean three of the busiest railway lines out of London are closed, putting added pressure on other lines and motorways.

Network Rail has defended its decision to shut the lines during the busy Bank Holiday period saying it is more efficient to get work done over a long weekend.

The East Coast Line will be closed for maintenance, along with tracks between London and South Wales, and London and Birmingham.

Engineering works will close the First Great Western line to Reading for the whole weekend with passengers being diverted to South West Trains (SWT) services from Waterloo.

Passenger numbers will be swelled by fans travelling to the Reading Festival, which takes place from Friday to Sunday.

Up to 50,000 people are also expected to attend two Rolling Stones concerts at Twickenham stadium on Saturday and Sunday evening. SWT will transport concert-goers on normal services and will also provide additional coaches and a special service for passengers returning to London after the performance.

There is also a host of local service disruptions, including work on the Stansted Express line.

Road authorities are expecting a bumper weekend on the roads, with millions of people due to flood out of London over the weekend.

However, the Highways Agency has lifted some lane restrictions by stopping roadworks over the weekend.

The Notting Hill Carnival takes place from Saturday to Monday and underground stations in the area could close for safety reasons. The Waterloo and City Line will be closed on Monday.

For information about train services call 08457 484950.