Some 2m to flee wet weather this weekend

Some two million British people are set to escape one of the wettest Augusts in years by going on holiday this weekend, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta).

The association predicts that Friday August 22nd and Saturday August 23rd will be the busiest days, with nearly one million people set to depart on their holidays from the south-east alone.

Heathrow Airport will once again be the busiest gateway, with more than 420,000 departures, followed by Gatwick Airport (260,000), Stansted Airport (160,000) and Luton Airport (80,000).

Manchester Airport will be the leading regional gateway, with 160,000 passengers, while the Scottish bases of Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and Aberdeen Airport will handle a joint total of 140,000 travellers.

Abta president Justin Fleming said: "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."

The summer favourites of the Balearics, mainland Spain and Greece are set to be as popular as ever.

City breaks have also been in demand, with New York, Rome, Amsterdam and Dublin set to be full of visitors.

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