Heathrow saw its third-busiest month on record in July as UK holidaymakers in droves headed overseas in search of warm and sunny weather.

The UK’s largest airport handled 6.48 million passengers, which was a 0.9 per cent rise over the same month a year earlier. Airline industry experts attribute the rise, at least in part, to families giving up on the Met Office’s forecast for a “barbeque summer” and heading off on last-minute breaks abroad.

British Airports Authority (BAA) indicated that a one per cent increase in passenger numbers at British Airways helped fuel the record performance.

A spokesman for the airports operator said: “We were expecting July to be busy because it marks the start of the school holidays. But the weather may have been a factor in boosting numbers to its near record level.”

According to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), its members reported bookings that were 40 per cent higher than last year.

Paul Riches, from online accommodation provider Youtravel.com, said: “The notion of a holiday in the UK might have been a good idea a few months ago, but the reality is different.”

He added: “We’re seeing people booking a week before they go away – this is unheard of in August. It just shows how desperate people are to get away.”

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