Seaside resorts in the region are preparing to be inundated with thousands of visitors this Easter weekend as people avoid the countryside.

And the region's airport and ports are expecting a surge of people looking to escape a grim Easter weather forecast.

Scarborough Tourist Information Centre has received hundreds of calls from people wanting to escape for a weekend by the seaside, since much of the countryside remains out of bounds.

A spokeswoman said: "We have been inundated with calls from people looking to find somewhere to stay. It's going to be a very busy weekend."

Rob Lund, executive director of operations at Leeds Bradford Airport, said: "We are expecting flights to be full and the airport to be busy this weekend."

P&O North Sea Ferries, working out of Hull, said they were also expecting to be busy, with thousands of passengers travelling abroad.

Nationally, 1.75 million Britons are set to escape both the rain and the foot-and-mouth crisis by travelling abroad.

The weather is expected to remain cold and showery, with a high of 8C (46F) in the North.

A WeatherCentre spokesman said: "Easter is not going to be a washout. Indeed, considering the amount of rain we have had and the record rainfall we experienced last April it is going to be comparatively dry."

The Highways Agency said it was suspending most roadworks on English motorways and trunk roads, although some essential work would still have to go on.

Updated: 11:53 Wednesday, April 11, 2001