National Highways is advising motorists to plan their journeys along the A303 in Wiltshire ahead of this week's Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.

Stonehenge will be open to solstice visitors on the morning of Friday, 22 December, although English Heritage will be livestreaming the sunrise and, with limited parking on site, they are also urging visitors to use public transport.

The Monument Field will be opened around 7.45am, dependent on light levels, and entry will close at 10am, while the Stonehenge car park will open at 5.15am.

To assist the flow of traffic both before and after the event, a 40mph speed limit will be in place on the A303 between the Countess roundabout and Longbarrow roundabout, with the lay-bys closed in between.

Kathryn Wiltshire, National Highways' South West Resilience Planner, said: "As we've done for previous solstice events, traffic management will be in place for safety and to keep disruption to a minimum.

"In view of a potential increase in traffic volumes for the Christmas Getaway, we advise all road users to check our traffic and travel information channels, plan their journeys and allow plenty of time."

Drivers can obtain up-to-the-minute travel information by following @HighwaysSWEST on Twitter, by accessing the website: www.trafficengland.com or by phoning the National Highways Information Line on 0300 123 5000.