Sunny weather is expected in the south

An unexpected glimpse of Bank Holiday sunshine could brighten the weekend for millions of people in southern England.

Forecasters said the temperature in London could reach 21C, while other areas including the East Midlands and south Lincolnshire are likely to be close behind.

Although it will still be far too cool for most people to take a dip, the south coast's beaches could be as warm as 19C.

Elsewhere the wet weather which heralded the start of the holiday weekend is set to continue, with much of the west and the north likely to see plenty of rain.

After a busy start to the weekend on the country's roads, the AA said there were few problems on Saturday.

'Pretty grim'

BBC weather forecaster Alex Deakin said the unpleasant start to the weekend would soon be forgotten by many people in southern England.

But he warned that things did not look quite so good elsewhere.

"The Lake District will have a pretty grim day tomorrow, with lots of rain," he said.

The outlook was little better in other parts of northern England and much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Deakin added: "On Monday most places will have a mix of sun and showers."

Temperatures are unlikely to be as high as the best seen on Sunday though.

'Nightmare'

According to the AA, some ten million cars are expected to be on the roads over the weekend.

Around London, the rain and high volumes of traffic were described as a "nightmare" on Friday.

By Saturday AA Roadwatch had no significant problems to report.

But it said that roads heading for indoor attractions and shopping centres could be busier if rain persists.