PRESS ASSOCIATION -- The final day of the Bank Holiday break is expected to offer some respite from the downpours that marred the weekend, with sunny spells brightening up the majority of the country.
Heavy showers swept across the UK over the past two days turning Reading and Leeds festivals into mud baths and scuppering the plans of those hoping to spend the long weekend on the beach.
But forecasters say the rain should stay away from most parts on Monday, making way for interspersed periods of sun and cloud.
Weather expert Billy Payne, from MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Today will be an improvement on the last few days and for most parts it is going to be a bright start.
"Cloud will develop later in the day and there could be a few showers across Northern and Eastern parts. Southern England and South Wales will see the best of the sunshine with highs of around 18C."
On Sunday heavy rain showers fell across the majority of the UK, with the South, the Midlands, and Wales experiencing the worst downpours. It followed similar weather conditions on Saturday.
Campers at Reading Festival were forced to don plastic ponchos and wellies, while organisers laid hay on the ground in an attempt to prevent the site becoming a swamp.
The Highways Agency reported large volumes of traffic on the roads over the Bank Holiday, with an estimated 16 million vehicles taking to the roads on Friday alone.
Warnings were issued for motorists returning from their getaways, after research revealed that the days immediately after the August Bank Holiday weekend are the worst for road accidents over the entire summer period.
A study by car insurance providers AXA found crashes peak on the Wednesday after the annual three-day break as tens of thousands Britons rush back to work and school. Last year there was a 46% increase in the number of accidents in the three days following the Bank Holiday compared with 2009, AXA said.