Six million prepare for Jubilee getaway as Britain celebrates with double bank holiday
Travel agencies predict around 2 million people will be travelling abroad, with around four million on the move in the UK
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Your support makes all the difference.Millions of people across the UK are set to embark on a mass Jubilee getaway today as Britons prepare for a bumper double bank holiday weekend.
Travel agencies predict around 2 million people will be travelling abroad, with around four million on the move in the UK.
Heathrow have said they expect 410,000 people to use the airport over the weekend.
200,000 people are expected to leave from Gatwick, 140,000 from Manchester and 120,000 from Stansted.
Some train companies have added extra carriages to their London bound trains in order to meet demand as London becomes the focus of the celebrations.
Travel organisation Abta said the most popular foreign destinations were Spain and Greece where Britons will be able to take advantage of the strength of the pound against the Euro.
Eurostar have also reported a 30% surge in bookings for the weekend.
275 miles of roadworks on A roads and motorways are planned for completion prior to the weekend the Highways Agency said.
The AA have said the main getaway traffic would occur this afternoon and Saturday morning.
Unfortunately for those staying in Britain for the celebrations the weather is unlikely to be as sunny and warm as it has been this week, with a notable cooling by Sunday.
Although temperatures should reach around 19C (66F) on Friday and Saturday, they could dip as low as 13C (55F) in parts of the south on Sunday.
Armed Forces today performed a full dress rehearsal ahead of the Jubilee celebrations in London on Tuesday.
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment rode from Westminster along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, then through Admiralty Arch and along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.
The route was lined with personnel from the Royal Marines, Foot Guards and Massed Bands of the Household Division, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and the Queen's Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery simulated firing a 60-gun salute on Horse Guards Parade as some 2,000 servicemen and women took part in the rehearsal.
Warrant Officer 1 Paul Barker, state ceremonial training officer for the Royal Navy, said,
"It went very well this morning. We are at the right stage that we need to be at, we don't want to peak too early but it's everything I expected them to achieve.
"On Tuesday there will be a mixture of nerves and pride; this is a one-off event, it's not going to happen again in our lifetime and it will give us lots and lots of memories for the future.
"We have lots of pep talks with our sailors and it's nice to see young sailors in naval uniform on the streets of the capital."
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