The great bank holiday escape

More than 1.7 million British travellers are expected to escape the wet weather to sunnier climes abroad, according to estimates.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) is predicting Friday and Saturday to be the busiest days for flying abroad, with one million holidaymakers jetting off from the south-east alone.

Gatwick will see 250,000 passengers taking flights overseas, with Manchester and Stansted both expected to see 160,000 people pass through their gates.

The Eurostar, Eurotunnel and ferry crossings will also be heavily used as Britons journey to mainland Europe, says Abta.

Britons will mostly be flying to Spain, the Canary Islands, Mallorca and the Greek islands, with Italy, Cyprus and Turkey also being popular destinations for the three-day weekend.

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