The great British getaway: Sunseekers to flee sub-zero UK 'in record numbers' over Easter

Millions of Britons look set to flee the UK's unseasonal sub-zero March temperatures in what could be the biggest Easter getaway ever.

Thousands of homes are without power and roads impassable due to heavy snow around the country at the weekend.

The Met Office has issued a warning for ongoing severe weather, and with little sign of the 'White Easter' cold snap ending, Britons are set to jet off from the UK in their droves this week.

Travel agents are expecting a rush of last-minute bookings, while Heathrow Airport staff are anticipating the 'busiest weekend of the year' over the Easter break.

Heathrow say they are expecting 1.2m passengers through their doors between Thursday March 28 and Tuesday April alone.

Other major UK airports like Gatwick, Stanstead, and Manchester are also expecting high numbers of passengers and/or increased traffic.

Popular holiday destinations like Tunis, Cairo, Barcelona and Majorca are all forecast for healthy weekend temperatures in the late teens or early-to-mid-20s, while Britain continues to shiver in temperatures barely above freezing.

Related: Latest UK weather forecasts and updates

Tour operators said the poor weather could contribute to a flurry of late bookings, and are expecting up to 2 million Britons to getaway over Easter.

The estimated 2 million figure is up on the usual 1.5m who usually get away at Easter, according to The Association of British Travel Agents.

Thomas Cook said holidaymakers are making a summer holiday their priority this year to guarantee some sun.

Joanna Wild, Managing Director of the firm's retail stores, said: "With more snow forecast this weekend and the prospect of an arctic Easter, we’ve seen demand increase for last minute getaways to warmer climes over the school break.

"This weekend is set to be the busiest of the year so far, with over 28,000 holidaymakers travelling with us over the Bank Holiday."

The tour operator said Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey were the top European hotspots, while Mexico, with forecasted highs of 25C this weekend, was the top long haul choice.



They added: "Easter normally signifies the start of summer - the unseasonal cold weather is certainly making many of us look ahead to a summer holiday abroad this year too, and more of our customers than ever before are making this a priority to guarantee some sunshine, especially if they didn’t get away last year."

It's not hard to see why Britons are jetting off in their droves - the Met Office estimated that 2013 could be one of the ten coldest years on record.

The average temperature for the year has been a paltry 3.1C, while the monthly average is likely to make it the coldest March since 1986.