Travel chaos as great British getaway sees millions hit the roads for heatwave weekend and Freedom Day

THE great British getaway has seen millions hit the roads to bask in a super sunny weekend.

There has been travel chaos as unprecedented levels of traffic created lengthy bumper-to-bumper queues on major routes – and a spike in breakdowns in sizzling 32C heat.

A 'Bermuda blowtorch' heatwave brought summer blazing back thanks to a tropical blast from the Atlantic.

Britain was thrust into the furnace ahead of Monday's 'Freedom Day' - recording the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures exceeding 30C in both England and Wales on Sunday.

In England, 31.6C (88.88F) was recorded in Heathrow, overtaking Saturday's record-breaking 30.3C (86.54F) recorded in Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire.

Wales recorded 30.2C (86.36F) in Cardiff, compared with 29.6C (85.28F) reached in Usk, Monmouthshire, on Saturday.

The weekend summer sizzler was driven by an ‘Azores High’ weather pattern, also known as a ‘Bermuda high’, experts explained.

Millions of people headed for beaches with roads busy on popular coastal routes as tourists flocked to enjoy the sunshine and blue sky.

At one stage the M5 was at a standstill, with traffic heading south towards Devon and Cornwall, while beachgoers packed the pebbles in Brighton.

Elsewhere, more than 150,000 people visited Bournemouth, Dorset, over the weekend to make the most of the balmy temperatures.

There are around 16,000 hotel rooms and 30,000 beds in the town and it is thought that 97 per cent of these were booked for Saturday alone.

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Tim Seward, chairman of the Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association, said that pent-up demand caused by foreign travel restrictions was responsible for the surge.

He said: "Any summer day where the sun is shining is obviously going to be busy, but this year there is pent-up demand because people cannot go abroad."

'BUMPER WEEKEND'

And David Bailey, tourism chief at BCP Council, said the location was readying for a "real bumper weekend".

Motoring association the AA estimated that drivers heading to the top five UK destinations - Cornwall, Devon, Yorkshire, Norfolk and Dorset - would travel an average of 187 miles to get there.

Chaos was also predicted for passengers going by train, as National Rail had listed 27 engineering projects scheduled for the weekend.

This included long delays for people travelling in and out of London's Euston, and "major" works in the Bristol area. On other lines, replacement buses had been organised for passengers.

HEATWAVE CONTINUES

The UK heatwave is expected to continue this week.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "We are expecting temperatures to continue on the high side right through until Thursday.

"[However] the day-to-day detail will change and there is a tendency for the highest maximum temperatures to migrate west.

"So, we are expecting Monday and Tuesday for the maximum temperatures to be in the South West and in South Wales, and then later in the week temperatures climbing across Northern Ireland and the North West."

Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: “We are looking at a spell of extreme heat driven by the Azores-Bermuda high and could see maximum temperatures in the mid- to high-20Cs holding out consistently through the coming days.

“Get ready for the Bermuda blowtorch.”

We are looking at a spell of extreme heat driven by the Azores-Bermuda high.

James MaddenExacta Weather

Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “The driver for the hot weather which could see temperatures push past 30C... will be an Azores High.

“This region of high pressure which stretches from the sub-tropical Atlantic will sit right over the UK letting us really feel the power of the sun, particularly [over the] weekend but also through the start of next week.”

The Met Office predicts the mercury could remain high enough for official heatwaves in parts of the country - defined as "an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity".

'EXTREME HEAT'

And as the sun beats down, forecasters have warned of "high or very high" UV levels which "can have serious effects on your skin and eyes".

Warnings about extreme heat have also been issued by both medical authorities and vets, urging people to keep the vulnerable and animals safe.

And hay fever suffers have also been alerted that pollen levels will be "high or very high" across most of the UK.

Hot weather will hold out through Monday, dubbed 'Freedom Day', when after almost a year and a half Covid restrictions will be lifted.

The rule of six will finally be scrapped indoors and social distancing and table service in pubs is also getting left behind.

Face masks are becoming optional in many venues, and large-scale events like festivals, concerts and nightclubs are making a comeback.