Millions of travellers face weekend chaos as school holidays begin - and the weather gets worse

Despite miserable weather forecasts, an estimated 18 million people are expected to hit the road, clogging motorways and congesting airports.

Major floods are due to hit the south-east tomorrow and the Met office has issued severe weather warnings for the entire south of England.

The AA predicts heavy delays and motorists are being warned to leave extra time for journeys.

A spokesman said: "This is always one of the busiest weekends of the year with the schools breaking up for summer holidays.

"We predict there could be around 18 million people on the roads - and any delays are only going to be made worse by the weather conditions.

"If it's at all possible, we'd advise motorists to avoid driving if they're likely to be caught up in torrential rain or flooding."

The Met Office is predicting a downpour in many parts of the country which is likely to cause further problems on the roads and railways.

In addition, rigorous security checks at airports in the wake of the recent terror attacks are likely to lead to delays.

At the moment, airlines still have to enforce a strict one-bag hand luggage policy, with predicted queues at terminals.

But there was some light at the end of the tunnel after Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced that she was reconsidering the rule, which was brought in to protect against terrorist attacks.

The minister had been at a summit with air industry chiefs to discuss the continued delays facing passengers travelling to and from Britain.

She told the chief executives she was willing to look again at the baggage restrictions but only if the security of travellers could be guaranteed.

Airline operators have claimed the security measures, introduced last August, are driving valuable business passengers away from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.