A number of planned closures of motorways serving London have been paused until after the Queen’s funeral, it has been announced. 

Her Majesty's state funeral will take place on Monday, September 19 which has also been confirmed as a national bank holiday by King Charles III. 

The number of travellers to the capital is expected to be extraordinarily large, with the National Highways saying their decision will reduce congestion for people travelling to and from the capital to pay their respects to Her Majesty.

In London, there are five motorways that will be impacted by the planned pause, with the M25, M11, M3, M4 and the M23 all seeing roadworks stopped. 

The National Highways also confirmed that all closures on the motorway network will be postponed during the bank holiday weekend.

Mourners pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

The service also said that existing roadworks will be removed “where possible”, with cones and temporary signs withdrawn from 6am on Friday until the following Tuesday.

John McNeill, head of service delivery in the east of England for National Highways, said: “We expect the roads to be busy with people looking to travel into the capital and to other royal residences over the weekend.

“Our traffic officer patrols will be out on the network to help anyone who might get into difficulty, but it’s important people remember to check their vehicle before setting off.

“The last thing anybody wants on the way to their destination is to have a vehicle breakdown.

“That’s why it’s really important that people spend a few minutes checking the condition of their tyres before setting off.”