..Sand we're off!

Millions head to beaches, hotels, bars & shops as the Bank Holiday heats up

- STEPHEN HAYWARD and JOHN KELLY

MORE than 35 million people gave British businesses a boost as they basked in some long-awaited Bank Holiday sunshine yesterday.

Miserable May finally started to sizzle as temperatures soared – with tomorrow expected to be the hottest day of the year so far.

The great weather spelled great news for Covid-hit shops and hospitality venues, as people headed out to eat, drink and spend.

But with more than 11 million Brits predicted to take a break for the first time in months, there was chaos on some roads.

Tens of thousands of people packed coastal resorts yesterday as temperatures rose to 23C in London.

The beach at Lyme Regis, Dorset, was rammed, as was the seafront in Brighton, East Sussex.

In St Anne’s, Lancs, youngsters got to go on donkey rides for the first time in months, while bathers made the most of the sun on the banks of Scotland’s Loch Morlich.