Britain's roads were in chaos yesterday as millions of people set off on the second day of what forecasters say could be the hottest August bank holiday weekend for 10 years.
A bread lorry which ploughed on to railway tracks in Buckinghamshire on Friday continued to cause widespread cancellations yesterday and increased traffic on roads already suffering 70-mile tailbacks.
Accidents caused congestion on roads including the M11 and M25 as the AA estimated that most of Britain's 23 million cars would take to the roads over the weekend.
Congestion will be worsened by the two million people going to London's Notting Hill Carnival and 70,000 fans travelling north to Glasgow for the Gig on the Green festival. Others are going to Reading and Leeds music festivals.
Police have ploughed £4 million into efforts to avoid the violence which marred last year's Notting Hill Carnival, when two people were murdered and several assaulted.
PA WeatherCentre said although today could see some showers, the country would bask in sunshine tomorrow apart from a band of cloud across north Wales and central England.
Nevertheless, 1.4m people were expected to take advantage of the strength of the pound to go overseas.
Some 250,000 people will go to France, while 550,000 holidaymakers will depart from Heathrow and Gatwick airports and 600,000 more through regional airports. 'Roads heading towards the air ports are particularly bad,' said the AA. 'We advise people to estimate the time their journey should take and then add 50 per cent.'
The delays, combined with a cloudy forecast for mainland Europe, could mean that the best way to enjoy the bank holiday weekend is to stay at home - or head into central London where temperatures were expected to hit their highest level for 60 years.
Nigel Bolton, senior forecaster at the Meteorological Office, said: 'It's a weekend of mixed weather. We could see temperatures reaching 32 C (90 F) in central London, which will feel horrible... with thunderstorms over Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.'
Those who choose to follow the lead of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and head to the West Country should also be warned. 'Roads into Devon and Cornwall are the worst in the country,' said the AA. Businesses have greeted the influx with delight, however. According to Fran Nash, at Somerset Tourist Information Centre, hotels are almost completely booked up in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
'If you haven't booked, you'll be lucky to get anywhere,' she said.
Simon Bradley, head of operations at South West Tourism, said the foot and mouth epidemic was no longer an issue for visitors. 'Things are getting back to normal,' he said. 'It has been a good August, we have had two Prime Ministers in the region, we have had lots of people coming into the resorts, and it is looking really good for the weekend.'
