Go West for the best of the sunshine say forecasters as Bank Holiday rush begins (but spare a thought for these car owners in Cornwall whose vehicles were swamped by huge tides)

• .London, the South East and East Anglia are likely to be hit with rain over Saturday and Sunday
• .Severe flooding in Cornwall triggered by spring tides submerges cars beneath water

By ANNA EDWARDS

Western parts of the UK will enjoy the best of the weather this Bank Holiday weekend, while most of the country will enjoy dry conditions on Monday.

As millions began their travels to enjoy breaks and holidays, experts said London, the South East and East Anglia are likely to be hit with rain over Saturday and Sunday, so those looking for sunshine over the long weekend should go west.

Matt Dobson, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather arm of the Press Association, said: 'It's really an east-west split in the weather on Saturday, where west is definitely best.

Bathers, sun-worshippers and school children enjoyed the return of the warm weather on Shanklin beach in the Isle of Wight

Taking to the sea: People enjoyed a cool dip on the Isle of Wight, canoeing and paddling on pedalo

Shanklin beach was packed with people enjoying the weather, as the Bank Holiday promised fine spells of weather for the west of the country

'In England, Wales and Scotland there will be sunny spells and generally dry weather in western areas, whereas in eastern areas it will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain.'

 

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The forecaster said the warmest places will be from Devon and Cornwall, through Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Wales, and up into Cumbria and the western half of Scotland. Temperatures will reach highs of 20C (68F) or 21C (70F).

In Northern Ireland it will be a dry morning with some rain moving in over the afternoon.

'It's not looking brilliant for the South East on Sunday,' Mr Dobson said.

'It's going to be wet and cloudy with a north easterly wind with further showers or heavier spells of rain.'

Across to the west there will be sunshine again, with highs of 22C (72F) in some parts. 

However, the expert said most of the country should be dry on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cars are left flooded after huge spring tides in Golant, Cornwall. These cars were left submerged in water as the spring tides worked to full effect

Golant resident Perren May said there is a sign in the village warning drivers of the possibility of floods - but drivers were not anticipating them to be this extreme

'This is probably going to be the driest day for the whole weekend,' he said. 

'Much of the country, including the South East, is going to get away with better weather. The South West, Wales and Cumbria will be the best places.'

As the west looks forward to some summer sunshine, cars in Golant, Cornwall, were left submerged beneath water after heavy flooding triggered by huge spring tide.

Resident Perren May said there is a sign in the village warning drivers of the possibility of floods. However, many vehicles were left submerged in water as the spring tides worked to full effect.

Spring tides are caused by the large rise and fall of the tide at, or soon after, the new or the full moon. The rush of water is exacerbated when the tide-generating force of the sun acts in the same direction as that of the moon, reinforcing it and causing the greatest rise and fall in tidal level.

While the sun is expected to shine over western parts of the country, it was distinctly misty in Cornwall today.

But while that type of weather is not normally appreciated it certainly was on this occasion, when swirling mists transformed a remote castle into an magical replica of Hogwarts.

Holidaymakers were treated to a spellbinding view after swirling mists transformed St Michael's Mount in Cornwall into what looked like Hogwarts, Harry Potter's wizardry school

Summer shows its firsts signs of turning into autumn as low cloud hangs in the valley above Castleton, seen from Winnats Pass, in the Derbyshire, Peak District

Summer shows its firsts signs of turning into autumn as low cloud hangs in the valley above Castleton, seen from Winnats Pass, in the Derbyshire, Peak District

An autumnal mist descends over Derbyshire, as the seasons can be seen slowly changing

The eerie towers and battlements at St Michael's Mount in Cornwall looked just like the fictional school where Harry Potter learnt his wizardry.

The medieval dwelling sits on a tiny tidal inland which can only be reached via a narrow granite causeway when the tide is right, making it almost as inaccessible as its movie counterpart.

Actual locations around Britain used to recreate Hogwarts include Alnwick Castle in Northumbria, Durham Cathedral, Harrow School in North London and Duke Humfrey's Library at Oxford University.

The threat of rain did not deter excited festival goers, who pulled on their Wellington boots and their shorts as they headed to music festivals around the country.

Music lovers arrived at Reading and Leeds music festival and braved the muddy conditions to pitch their tents and trek through fields to hear the musical acts.

A bit of mud won't stop them! Festival goers Rebecca Henderson, 20, Annmarie Shannon, 22 and Helen Welburne, 22 walking through the mud at Leeds Festival

A pair of gallant young men carry their female friends over the muddy fields - although the gentleman on the right looks like he's already regretting his offer

A sea of tents: Thousands of music fans from all over the country have come together to see the likes of Eminem, Green Day and Biffy Clyro during the three day event

Ready to rock! Festival goers are already mucky as they traipse across the sloppy conditions - but that doesn't stop them enjoying themselves

Stocked up: Attendees look fresh and bright-eyed as they head into Reading Festival - but will probably end up looking very different by the end of the raucous long weekend

Camping community: Tents have already been pitched at Reading Festival, as people begin enjoying themselves

As people head out on the road to make the most of their long weekend, commuters on their getaway faced severe delays today after an eight-vehicle pile-up caused a road to be closed for seven hours.

A lorry had jack-knifed and shed some of its load of tyres after colliding into a broken down car and this then caused a Vauxhall Astra to overturn, police said.

Five other vehicles then crashed into either the Astra or the lorry on the A3 carriageway, between Ockham and Ripley, Surrey, at about 11.30pm yesterday.

The lorry driver, a man aged in his 40s, had to be cut from his cab by fire crews after suffering leg injuries and abdominal pain.

He was assessed and treated at the scene before being rushed to St George's Hospital, in Tooting.

There were also a number of minor injuries as a result of the multi-vehicle crash.

The stretch of road was re-opened by police at 6.30am today, however knock on effects continued to delay journeys.

This real-time map shows the rainy conditions that are affecting the western parts of the UK