Britain suffers Bank Holiday washout - but sunshine's on its way

Sunny spells are due to be brief, with wet weather on the cards for most - but there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

The weather held out today for revellers on day two of the Notting Hill Carnival

Forecasters said that by the end of the week the sun would make an overdue appearance, with temperatures reaching up to 27c (81f).

But hopes of an Indian summer are slim - the warm spell is set to be a blip, with seasonal temperatures returning early next week.

Beachgoers make the most of the sunshine on Brighton beach on Saturday

...but unsettled weather meant that Sunday's visitors were not as lucky

A festival-goer at Leeds prepared for any eventuality - wearing a skimpy bikini and a pair of floral wellies

Ruffled feathers: A dancer today at the Notting Hill Carnival in London

As temperatures reached highs of 22C, yesterday, people were warned to take extra care on beaches and in the sea after coastguard staff went on strike.

The 48-hour industrial action by as many as 700 Maritime and Coastguard Agency is due to end at 7pm.

The MCA said contingency plans were in place to ensure an emergency service was available during the strike, but urged the public to take extra care while on the sea, beach or cliffs.

A spokeswoman for the MCA said there had been a few incidents around the coast but nothing out of the ordinary.

"It has been fairly routine for a bank holiday weekend," she said. "We have had the usual incidents around the coast that we would expect at this time of the year.

"We are warning people to take extra care if they are going to the beach or out to sea but people can still get in contact with the coastguard in the usual way. Nothing changes if there is an emergency at sea."

A Notting Hill Carnival performer dances during a spell of hazy sunshine at London's biggest street party

Children wore masks as they watched the carnival parade on Sunday

Around two million people crowded into airports to fly to warmer climes abroad while major roads were clogged at the start of the weekend.

Travellers also had to deal with the closure of the M1 between junctions 32 and 35 in Yorkshire yesterday, while the Tinsley cooling towers were demolished.

At Heathrow - the UK's biggest airport - a total of 420,000 people were expected to travel abroad, while 260,000 were flying off from Gatwick and 160,000 from Manchester. 

Cooling off: Holidaymakers paddled in the sea in Bournemouth, thankful the sun had made an appearance

Those due to leave Stansted airport in Essex today face the possibility of delays due to a 24-hour strike by members of the GMB union who operate luggage-scanning equipment.

Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar announced it was carrying a record 165,000 travellers in the five-day period from Thursday to Tuesday - an 8% rise on the total last August bank holiday.

In addition, around 400,000 people were taking ferry trips abroad or travelling by Eurotunnel over the holiday period.

Network Rail (NR) has a big programme of engineering work over the weekend, affecting a number of services.

Paul Mott, forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: 'Today is looking like quite a wet day. Many areas will be quite cloudy and breezy, however southern, central and eastern England will see a few spells of sunshine.

'It will feel warm in any sunshine, temperatures in London and East Anglia could reach 23C.'