As holidaymakers begin their August vacation, motorways across Europe are clogged by dozens of tailbacks.
 

Traffic jams began on the eve of what is known as Black Saturday. The longest are in southern France, with dozens of kilometres of tailbacks near the cities of Lyon, Perpignan and Bordeaux. In Austria 35 kilometres of queues at the Tauer tunnel are causing six-hour delays. Travelers were advised to wait until the afternoon before setting forth on their journeys.

Photo Paddy75/Flickr