PAGANS and druids are expected to be among the thousands at Stonehenge and Avebury to witness the sunrise tomorrow morning to mark the shortest day of the year.

Last year, almost 5,000 people dressed in medieval clothing were at Stonehenge to celebrate the solstice - the annual event which marks the point at which the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun.

Ancient civilisations in the UK and around the world mark the occasion as an important moment and an opportunity to bring old traditions back into modern life.

In previous years, people have enjoyed picnics, while others have performed religious ceremonies to mark the date.

The sun will rise over Stonehenge at 8.13am tomorrow, and a spokesman for English Heritage - which looks after the prehistoric monument - said between 3,000 and 5,000 people were expected to travel to the site.

The spokesman said: "We expect people to start arriving between 7am and 7.45am, as they will want to be at the site before sunrise.

"It is fascinating to witness people performing religious ceremonies and enjoying the solstice at the site."

Although the entire day is typically considered to be the solstice, the precise moment it occurs is when the sun is directly over the line marking the latitude stretching across the southern hemisphere: the Tropic of Capricorn.

This year, this will reportedly happen at 10.44am GMT, according to science website earthsky.org

Daylight tomorrow will last just seven hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds - almost nine hours less than the year's longest day in the summer.

Highways England is advising motorists to plan ahead if travelling on the A303 and English Heritage is urging visitors to use public transport or car share.

The Monument Field will be opened at about 7.45am, dependent on light levels, and will close at 10am.

To assist the flow of traffic both before and after the event, a 40mph speed limit will be in place on the A303 between the Countess roundabout and Longbarrow roundabout, with the lay-bys closed in between.

Gareth Price, Highways England emergency planning officer for the south west, said: “We are anticipating traffic volumes to increase around the event, and our aim is to keep the Highways England network running whilst keeping road users safe and informed.

“The traffic management will be in place for safety and to keep disruption to a minimum, and we advise all road users to check our traffic and travel information channels, plan their journeys and allow plenty of time.”

Highways England provides live traffic information via its website at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or from a phone or mobile device at m.highways.gov.uk

Travel information is also available by phone from the Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 and updates will be provided via Twitter.

And for more information on the Winter Solstice go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/winter-solstice-2016/