It is no secret that traffic costs the logistics industry phenomenal sums of money over the course of a year, but unfortunately it seems that congestion on the UK's roads is getting steadily worse.

New figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) showed that 77.6 per cent of journeys on the Highways Agency-managed network were completed on time in the year ending February 2013. This was down by 0.4 per cent on the previous year.

Provisional data for February 2013 showed that 76 per cent of journeys made on A roads and motorways were on schedule, which was five per cent lower than the corresponding month in 2012.

The annual reliability monitor increased up to March 2012, but has tailed off since and this will be a cause for concern for fleet operators.

According to the DfT, the fact that 2012 was the second-wettest year since records began may explain why there were more delays out on the roads.

A recent study by TomTom showed that Belfast and Bristol are the most congested cities in the UK, with London in third.