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Barbecue and bikini bank holiday: parts of Britain set to be warmer than Majorca during May Day weekend

Temperatures could reach 20C in the south as flood warnings are issued in western Scotland

Laura Lea
Friday 03 May 2013 18:16 BST
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This bank holiday weekend looks to be a warm one
This bank holiday weekend looks to be a warm one (Reuters)

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It may be hard to believe if you're basking in the bright sunshine in the south of England today, but a yellow flood warning was issued this morning for parts of western Scotland.

But the good news is nowhere else looks to be as wet this bank holiday weekend, according to forecasters. Rain may be dampening spirits across Wales tomorrow morning, but the majority of the UK looks to be dry by Saturday afternoon.

Sunday will be cloudy but warm in some parts of the UK with more than enough sunny spells to justify beer gardens and picnics.

In fact, temperatures look to keep edging higher over the weekend, with Monday being hotter than European holiday destinations, Majorca and Cote D’Azur. Temperatures will reach 20C in the South, 17 in south Wales and 19 in the North. Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler but mild at around 15.

In true British fashion, we seem to be getting very excited at the first signs of summer with Asda reporting a 142 per cent rise in sales of barbecues. But it’s not just food, in a bid to dust off those winter blues we appear determined to finally go out without a pair of tights, as Superdrug report increased demand for wax strips, fake tan and false toe nails.

Elsewhere, the UK’s hospitals are bracing themselves for a busy weekend. Gordon Miles, chief executive of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: “There are more people at leisure, having fun, drinking and so on and we do get more accidents as a result.

“Patients should use their judgment as to whether to go to hospital or not.”

The roads are set to be busy as millions travel the country and motorists are advised to prepare for long delays. The busiest time is expected to be between 9am and 3pm on Saturday. Roads leading to holiday destinations including the M6 toward Lake District, A23 to Brighton and A64 to the Yorkshire coast will attract particularly heavy traffic.

There are no major disruptions to train services, although planned engineering will continue over some services including those passing through Lancashire, between Preston and Carlisle and between London and St Albans.

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