IT is the age old and unexplained phenomena - as soon as a Bank Holiday arrives the weather turns sour.But this weekend looks set to buck the trend, with at least some sunny spells expected in East Anglia for those at home and visitors to the region to enjoy.

IT is the age old and unexplained phenomena - as soon as a Bank Holiday arrives the weather turns sour.

But this weekend looks set to buck the trend, with at least some sunny spells expected in East Anglia for those at home and visitors to the region to enjoy.

EADT weatherman Ken Blowers said yesterday: “It's quite a good outlook. It would be quite rare to have a warm Easter but it looks like it's going to be.

“It won't be sunshine all the time, it will be cloudy at times, but the main thing is that we will have temperatures up to 17C (62F) on the lead up to Easter and as we go into Easter, particularly Saturday, I think the temperatures could go up to 18C (64F).

“It is going to be chiefly dry and becoming warmer because a high pressure system will take over the weather. In fact, it could become the warmest spell this year.”

Yesterday was one of the warmest days of 2006 with the mercury rising to 13C (55F).

But with a return to wintry conditions over the last few weeks, the nation had anticipated a cooler Bank Holiday and a record 2.3 million people are expected to head off for destinations abroad.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said Spain and its islands were the most popular destinations this Easter.

Other places in demand include the Portuguese Algarve, Tunisia, Egypt, Florida, the Caribbean, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome and Venice.

For many UK airports, today will be the busiest day of the holiday period and Stansted expects around 172,350 passengers will leave over the Easter period.

Regional airports and ferry terminals are also predicting more Britons to take advantage of the long weekend.

Abta president Martin Wellings said: “Although Easter is always a busy time of year for the travel industry, there seems to be a real pent-up demand this year that we've been able to fulfil. It promises to be a very busy weekend.”

But the climes at home will still offer a chance to enjoy the outdoors - even if it is not quite warm enough for sunbathing.

The Met Office said: “Contrary to the popular view that it always rains, bank holiday weekends often throw a variety of weather at us and this Easter is no exception.

“Despite the risk of showers throughout the weekend, nearly all parts of the UK should see at least some spells of settled, dry and bright weather, allowing most people to enjoy the great outdoors at some stage.”

The Met Office said the best of the Easter weather could be expected in central parts of Britain, where there will be just a few showers, light winds and bright or sunny intervals.

And for those wanting to use the Bank Holiday to explore other parts of the nation there was some good news, with the Highways Agency lifting roadworks at 27 major sites in England.