MOTORISTS are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully during this weekend's Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Alcester, in order to avoid delays and reduce congestion on the roads.

The event is the largest of its kind to be held in Europe, and is expected to attract 120,000 visitors over its three day duration from Friday 29 July to Sunday 31 July.

Up to 15,000 vehicles per day are expected to be travelling to and from Ragley Hall and the event organisers, with support from Warwickshire Police and partner agencies, have a traffic management plan in place to keep disruption to a minimum.

The intention is to keep the majority of show traffic on four main arterial routes that serve the area to the north, south, east and west of the site and then feed the vehicles into the car parks located at Ragley Hall.

Vehicle Message Signs advising motorists of the show will be used on local roads with signage detailing directions to the show and any diversion routes in place.

Sergeant Bob Shaw from Warwickshire Police said:"Our primary objective is that of road safety, however we also aim to keep any disruption to the road system to an absolute minimum and ensure that a return to normality occurs as soon as possible".

"Whilst we have done our best to meet the needs of the local communities and those of the visitors to the show, with 120,000 people to deliver safely to and from the event site over a three-day period there is no perfect solution and a degree of inconvenience is unfortunately inevitable.

"I would therefore ask that motorists take notice of the following advice to ensure that their journeys are kept as problem free as possible."

  • Before setting off on your journey check to see if road closures affect your intended route. If so, alternative routes are available and you need to plan ahead and follow carefully the road signs and directions provided.
  • If possible make alternative arrangements to avoid travelling during the peak times of the show opening and closing and rush hour traffic. If you're unable to do so then please allow extra time for your journey.