THOUSANDS of Britons kicked off the Easter Bank Holiday weekend a day early yesterday and spent the hottest Maundy Thursday in 50 years mired in traffic jams.

Motoring organisations reported a mass exodus from cities leading to miles of tailbacks heading to airports, ports and the coast by the early afternoon. Rail strikes across the South East increased the strain on motorways and dual carriageways while the closure of Paddington station for the entire Easter weekend could extend the gridlock well into the holiday period.

The worst-affected routes are likely to be the M4 and the A303 as thwarted rail travellers swell the ranks of motorists heading to the West Country. The AA said that the “remarkably quiet” level of morning rush hour traffic yesterday suggested that many people had tried to pre-empt the worst of the Bank Holiday jams by heading off a day early. Employers’ organisations predicted that many office workers would probably take next Tuesday off as well.

Around the country a freak bubble of high pressure continued to hold off a cold weather front moving in from the Russian Steppes. Kinloss, near Inverness, recorded the highest temperature in the United Kingdom at 24.6C (76.3F). Bournemouth was hotter than Cairo and Rio yesterday and the town’s beach office reported a level of activity that was “unheard of for this time of year”. All 3,000 deckchairs along the town’s seven-mile beach were occupied by lunchtime, and workers in dozens of offices took the day off to take advantage of the weather.

Despite the travel difficulties, VisitBritain, the tourism marketing body, estimated that during the Easter break Britons will make 2.6 million trips of one night or more in England, spending £400 million.

A record 1.8 million British holidaymakers are likely to leave the country over the Easter weekend despite suggestions that aftermath of the war in Iraq and the Sars virus in East Asia could affect travel plans. Stephen Bath, President of the Association of British Travel Agents, said: “The travel industry has gone through a very difficult period in the last few months. However, I am delighted to see that holidaymakers have not allowed the current situation to put them off taking a well-earned break this Easter and are travelling in greater numbers than ever.”

The Canary Islands, mainland Spain, the Balearic islands, and Turkey are the most popular short-haul destinations. Long haul, Florida is selling well.

For those left behind the Met Office last night forecast a drop in temperatures over the next 24 hours accompanied by increased winds, particularly on the East Coast. By Easter Sunday mountainous parts of Wales and the North could see hail, thunder and snow. A spokesman said the turnaround, would begin today. “We are going to see a major, major change over the next couple of days,” he said.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Should Knox’s trial even have reached the courtroom?
• All that glitters is not sold in Wright’s world
• Believe it or not, Big Brother is your friend