But, But, But, It's May Bank Holiday

If you're from England or ever lived there, you'll know how much Brits love their May Bank Holiday.   Seaside excursions to the coast, picnics, the great outdoors.

Bank Holiday 2012 is shaping up to be a little different, well more than a little out of the ordinary.

Temperatures over Saturday night will dip towards, or even below, freezing in Scotland and parts of Wales and the Midlands while thermometers might struggle to record double-digit centigrade during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

On Monday, south-west England, already badly hit by downpours in the last week, will experience more rain, although on Friday most of the 20 flood warnings that remained in place were in the Anglian region.

The Environment Agency said it would continue to watch river levels although the forecast suggested the weekend would be drier than recent days. A spokesman said: "There is still a lot of floodwater around and the agency is urging people to keep away from swollen rivers, and not attempt to walk or drive through them."

Tom Tobler, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It doesn't look like it's going to be beach weather. We're looking at some wintry showers in the north over high ground and there may be snowfall."

An AA spokesman said: "We don't think there will be significant getaways of traffic. A lot of people will be staying at home and doing their own thing. The weather's been so foul over the last month, I doubt many people have made plans to head off," he said.