Traffic has risen by up to 20 per cent on roads to the sea today as Britons flock to beauty spots to lap up 75F sunshine as people get their first taste of summer by breaking out their barbeques.
Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into ‘support bubbles’ from today, meaning they can interact indoors and outdoors at less than two metres apart.
And people have been quick to take advantage of their newly restored liberties, as day-trippers start up their car engines and head to British beaches to catch the sunshine.
TomTom data shows that roads around Brighton at 12pm today were 20 per cent busier than at the same time last Saturday, up to 41 per cent – and only down 10 per cent from the same time last year.
There was six per cent more traffic in London and Portsmouth today compared to 12pm last Saturday, and the roads around Bournemouth were three per cent busier today.
The spike in motor congestion comes on the day the new ‘social bubble’ rules – which permit couples who have lived apart during lockdown to spend the night together – come into force.
The PM explained last week how the rules allow two households to meet at less than two metres apart, provided one of these households contains just one adult.
It also means that older people living alone will be able to go and stay with their children, or have their grandchildren to stay at their own homes to help with childcare.
Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into ‘support bubbles’ from today, meaning they can interact indoors and outdoors at less than two metres apart (pictured, Camber Sands, East Sussex today)
TomTom data shows that roads around Brighton (pictured) at 12pm today were 20 per cent busier than at the same time last Saturday, up to 41 per cent – and only down 10 per cent from the same time last year
There was six per cent more traffic in London (pictured) today compared to 12pm last Saturday, according to TomTom
TomTom data shows that the roads around Southampton (pictured) were two per cent busier today at 12pm than last Saturday
Today, parts of the South and South East are expected to be sunny, while the sunshine spreads up to Scotland tomorrow
The Met Office tweeted a forecast showing that the whole UK can expect hot weather and humidity today
With ‘support bubbles’ in force today, people itching to socialise after being confined to their homes since the ‘stay at home’ order was given on March 23 are likely to rush outdoors today.
The return of warm and sunny weather is likely to see many once again make a beeline for the coast, with beaches having been packed with visitors even before the PM eased lockdown restrictions.
Thousands flocked to Britain’s beaches, parks and beauty spots during the hottest May on record, with global temperatures 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the EU’s climate change monitor.
London, the Midlands and the South East can expect sunshine and highs of 79F today as people reunite over a BBQ, while the east, north and south-west experience humidity and showers.
Tomorrow, those sunny spells will continue for most of the UK, while showers will develop and will be locally heavy and thundery across Northern Ireland and western Britain.
There was six per cent more traffic in Portsmouth (pictured) today compared to 12pm last Saturday, according to TomTom
With ‘support bubbles’ in force, people itching to socialise after being confined to their homes since the ‘stay at home’ order was given on March 23 are likely to rush outdoors today (pictured, Man O’War beach near Durdle Door, Dorset today)
Thousands flocked to Britain’s beaches, parks and beauty spots during the hottest May on record, with global temperatures 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the EU (pictured, Man O’War beach near Durdle Door, Dorset today)
The Met Office said that June 13 is the only date during the summer that a temperature of 86F or more in the UK has not been recorded, tweeting: ‘It’s Stat-urday #DidYouKnow June 13th is the only date during meteorological summer (June, July, August) that we have never recorded a temperature of 30°C or more in the UK.
‘Although its warm for some today we are not going to reach that mark this year’.
Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey told MailOnline: ‘We are looking at a showery picture for tomorrow, including heavy thunder in some areas and rain particularly in the east, north and south-west.
‘There is a chancy of sunny spells in between showers, but it’s a fairly changeable, unsettled picture as we go through the weekend and into next week.
‘Temperatures will pick up, though, and it could feel humid and close if you are under a cloud.’
During the spells of sunshine tomorrow, the mercury could rise to as high as 79F (26C) in London, and just below in many other areas including Birmingham, Manchester and York.
Temperatures are not expected to reach the 70s in Scotland, where it is likely to remain wet for most of the day.
The rain is then expected to return on Sunday, with fog also likely in some areas, particularly in the north-east, with sunny spells again coming in between scattered showers.
The Met Office last night tweeted a forecast for today showing sunshine in the South, South East, Midlands and parts of Wales
The reunion of loved ones from different households may see many take advantage by having a barbecue, as a group on Southsea Common, Hampshire, were pictured doing on May 30
Despite the showers, though, some areas could experience temperatures up to 75F (24C).
‘The picture is not really changing into early next week as the unsettled weather continues,’ Ms Maxey said. ‘We’re likely to see a mix of sunshine and strong showers, with a risk of thunderstorms for the first half of next week.’
England in particular has been beset by rainfall in recent days, with more than double the amount of water falling in the first 10 days of this month, compared to all of May.
Last month was the warmest May on record with global temperatures 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the European Union’s climate change monitor.
The lifting of further restrictions this week is designed to help the UK’s ‘many lonely or isolated people’ who are seen as struggling the most during the months-long lockdown.
The PM said: ‘I know how how difficult the past months have been for people cut off from their family and friends.
‘There are still too many people, particularly those who live by themselves, who are by themselves and struggling’.
He admitted that there would be many people disappointed by the restrictions on eligibility but cautioned that the change was not an excuse for a free-for-all.
‘We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures,’ he said. ‘It’s a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions.
‘It is emphatically not designed for people who don’t qualify to start meeting inside other people’s homes, because that remains against the law.’
Mr Johnson also confirmed shops could reopen on Monday if they abide by social distancing rules, as well as zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas.
Churches and other religious buildings can also re-open for individual worship, but there was no further announcements in relation to the opening of pubs.