Rainy start to Bank Holiday predicted

Forecasters have warned of torrential downpours today as the Bank Holiday weekend gets off to a soggy start. The pop festivals in Reading and Leeds are among locations at risk of a soaking, with up to an inch of rain predicted in some areas.

Andy Ratcliffe, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "There are going to be widespread and frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms, with torrential rain in places. We are looking at 5-15mm generally over the 24 hours from midnight, and locally, up to 25mm in some areas. If there are torrential downpours, there could be local flooding."

Sunday is looking drier – though with a risk of showers in northern and eastern areas – before rain returns from the west on Monday, spreading to most areas, though the South East may escape the worst.

Temperatures are not expected to reach much higher than 20C (68F) over the weekend – a stark contrast with last weekend when the thermometer touched 32C.

Around 1.8 million Brits are heading abroad for the break. Travel organisation Abta said Spain and its islands were the most popular.