Download Festival: Important information for those travelling to event by car

Bosses at National Highways have issued important advice to music fans travelling to Download Festival by car.

The event - which will include music from Slipknot, Metallica and Placebo - will take place at Donington Park between Wednesday and Sunday.

The popular annual festival - which is marking its 20th anniversary this year - attracts around 100,000 people.

National Highways is urging festival-goers to follow the signposted routes - not their sat navs - to get to the site.

The organisation said there would be only one arrival day before the event got underway. This is due to there being an extra day of live music this year.

It said this would probably mean more people would head to the campsite on Wednesday and the roads would be busier.

National Highways' network resilience planner Phil Shaw said: "We expect the M1, A42, A50 and A38 to see significant increases in traffic over the festival period, particularly when everyone arrives on the Wednesday and again when they leave on Monday.

"If you are attending Download Festival, when you get within a few miles, follow the road signs and the instructions from the organisers rather than your sat nav as they will guide you on the correct route to the correct car park.

"Our advice to all motorists is allow extra time for journeys in that area over the weekend, particularly if you are catching a flight from East Midlands Airport.

"With more warm weather forecast, drivers should also have plenty of water or cold drinks for both themselves and their passengers and make sure they take regular breaks."

More advice from National Highways

Drivers are urged to make sure they have carried out simple vehicle checks before setting off.

Things to consider are:

• Tyres - ensure tyre pressures are suitable for the load and check the condition of tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear across the whole tyre including the sidewall

• Engine oil - check oil levels regularly and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you're topping up more than usual

• Water - always keep your screen wash topped up with a good ratio of water and screen wash to maximise the cleaning efficiency so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen easily

• Lights - if your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself and your family at risk. In addition, your vehicle may fail its MOT

• Fuel - before setting out, make sure you have enough fuel to get to your destination. Running out of fuel can put you, your family and other road users at risk unnecessarily