School closures caused a sharp drop in traffic on Wednesday morning, new figures show.

Location technology company TomTom said road congestion in cities across Britain was far below normal levels at 8am as a strike by teachers led to a huge reduction in the number of children being driven to schools.

The decline in road congestion is despite the majority of railway services being cancelled on Wednesday due to a strike by train drivers.

The proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions was 68% in London, down from 82% at the same time a week earlier.

Other cities that saw a drop in traffic over that period include Birmingham (from 77% to 63%), Bristol (from 79% to 54%), Glasgow (from 73% to 65%), Liverpool (from 67% to 41%), Manchester (from 100% to 78%) and Sheffield (from 64% to 50%).

TomTom traffic expert Andy Marchant said: “As half a million workers go on strike across the UK today, shutting down rail lines and schools, TomTom data has shown that congestion during this morning’s rush hour has fallen significantly from its usual levels.

“Our data suggests that workers have become accustomed to the disruption and are planning their commute accordingly or are staying at home altogether, heeding the advice to avoid any unnecessary travel and brace for significant disruption to their daily lives.”