Fed-up Brits 'to head abroad for bank holiday'

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has reported that two million people will head on holidays abroad this weekend in a bid to escape the dreadful weather.

According to ABTA president Justin Fleming, Friday and Saturday are likely to be the busiest days for departures, with one million people expected to leave from south-east airports alone.

Meanwhile, 160,000 people will depart from Manchester, 70,000 will set off from Birmingham and a combined 140,000 will leave from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Most people have opted to travel to the Balearic Islands, Spain and the Greek islands, as well as Turkey, Cyprus and Portugal.

"The August bank holiday is our traditional goodbye to the summer and is always very busy. This year is no exception with large numbers escaping to guaranteed sunshine, sandy beaches and warm seas," said Mr Fleming.

This August has been the wettest since 1912, with many areas experiencing floods.

Scotland and Northern Ireland were worst-hit.

For those not lucky enough to be escaping the British weather this weekend, the Met Office has offered some relief - although the weekend will be mixed, next week should see better weather.

More settled conditions are also predicted for early autumn, the organisation said.