Seven million Brits to hit the roads this Bank Holiday weekend

Millions of Britons are expected to hit the roads this May Bank Holiday after forecasters predicted a weekend hotter than the French Riviera and Majorca.

According to the RAC, one in five motorists (that's seven million Britons) is planning an escape this Bank Holiday with the majority taking advantage of the balmy weather and enjoying the sunshine in Britain on the usually-quiet holiday weekend.

Road experts Trafficmaster told the Daily Mail the return home will be just as bad.

A spokesman said: "Following the extended wintry weather which adversely affected the Easter Bank Holiday, it is now expected that the long May Bank Holiday will bring heavy traffic to many holiday routes.

"Normally, this particular holiday period tends to be quiet on the roads, because schools only break for the Bank Holiday Monday.

"But the abnormally poor weather over the Easter break this year is likely to encourage many to take a long weekend away over the May Day weekend."

And it's not just staycations that are popular for May's first three-day weekend, as the RAC says more than half a million drivers are heading to Europe for even hotter weather.

RAC roadside operations manager Matt Dallaway told the Daily Telegraph: "Finally we seem to have shaken off the cold and are enjoying a good spell of weather which will inevitably encourage more people into taking a short break this weekend, either in the UK or abroad.

"We are anticipating UK roads will be at their busiest since Easter and therefore we are preparing our patrols to deal with the inevitable increase in breakdowns amid greater congestion."

Meanwhile, The Weather Channel forecaster Leon Brown tells AOL Travel: "Don't get put off by the cloudy and cool start to the weekend since Sunday and Monday look like beautiful days to enjoy the outdoors across much of England and Wales, and very warm in the south by Monday.

"Sunday looks like a cracking day with mostly clear skies and sunshine across England and Wales. Afternoon temperatures reaching 19 to 21C, but 22C possible in parts of East Anglia. Still mostly cloudy over Scotland with the risk of rain over the south west Highlands, drier and brighter in eastern Scotland. Temperatures possibly 17C or 18C in Aberdeenshire, to the east of the Highlands."

Leon adds: "On Monday, the south will again enjoy a warm and sunny day with temperatures 20 to 22C across the Midlands and south east. The London area may be the hot spot reaching 23C. A little more cloud in the far south west in Cornwall and west Devon, and at times over western Wales and northern England with the risk of a light shower. In Scotland, the best weather may be the far north with a lot more cloud across southern Scotland."

But the weather is expected to go downhill with rain spreading from the west on Tuesday, so you may want to make the most of the warm Bank Holiday weekend...

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