City and United fans heading to first ever Manchester derby FA Cup final told to take different routes and use different service stations

Manchester City and Manchester United fans heading to London for the FA Cup final are being advised to take different motorway routes and use specific allocated service stations.

The rivals are facing off in a major final for the first time at Wembley next Saturday, June 3. Each club has sold out its allocation of 30,500 tickets for the historic clash.

Those heading to the capital have been hit with huge travel headaches after both the train driver's union Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) announced strike action in their ongoing disputes. It means there will be no direct trains between Manchester and London on Saturday.

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Both clubs have laid on extra coaches as have the FA who have secured 120 coaches, 60 for each club, to try and help 'compensate' for the loss of train services.

Following the announcement of the industrial action, fan groups warned of fears of delays on the main routes to London as well as concerns over the mingling of both sets of fans at service stations.

And official travel advice has now been issued advising coach drivers, and both Blues and Reds travelling by car, to take different routes and different service stations during their journeys.

The event page on the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) website says City fans are being 'encouraged' to take the M62/M1, M6/M1 or the M6 and M6 Toll/M1 for their journey. United fans are being advised to use the M6/42/M40.

TfGM have also issued a list of 'allocated motorway service stations.' Those for City fans include Lymm, Sandbach, Stafford, Watford Gap and London Gateway. United's include Knutsford, Keele, Hilton, Warwick, and Beaconsfield.

TfGM are