Greater Manchester has been named as having one of Europe’s most congested road networks – with Princess Parkway causing the worst misery for commuters.

Drivers in the region wasted an average of 46 hours stuck in traffic last year - two hours longer than they spent in the previous year, according to a major traffic study.

It made Greater Manchester the 12th most congested area in the whole of Europe. And the four mile stretch of Princess Parkway, which cuts through the south of the city from Northenden to Mancunian Way, was one of Britain’s most clogged routes.

Drivers wasted an excruciating 26 hours on the route last year.

Other blackspots included the M60 ringroad between Trafford Park and Worsley (J9-13) and the East Lancashire Road between Boothstown and Swinton Park, where 20 hours a year were lost by regular commuters.

All three were in the top ten blackspots outside London.

The average UK driver spent 30 hours in motionless traffic in 2013, making Manchester the worst place in Britain to drive outside of London where commuters were stuck for 82 hours. The figures were collected by travel information giant Inrix. The worst road in Britain for delays was the A4 in London and the M4 near Heathrow airport.

Bryan Mistele, from Inrix, said: “So goes traffic, so goes the economy.

“While bad news for drivers, the increases in congestion are signs of a recovering economy.”

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