CROWDS descended on the Keynes Country Park for its annual Great Lakes Family Day.

After the chaos caused by last year's foot and mouth epidemic, the farmers market was as popular as ever, while face painting and a storyteller were on hand to entertain the children.

Profits went to the Cotswold Water Park Society, a non profit-making charity that manages and improves the facilities and nature reserves in the park and helps provide a sustainable future.

The event was one of several over the bank holiday weekend and people who stayed in the area avoided congestion that brought parts of the M4 to a standstill.

RAC spokeswoman Charlotte Latham said it was one of the most hectic weekends in recent memory on the roads.

She said: "The combination of the Badminton Horse Trials, the Bristol Essential Festival and the FA Cup Final meant there was a lot of extra traffic on the roads."

Sunshine on Saturday and Sunday gave way to damp and drizzle yesterday, prompting many to hit the shops.

Franco Muccini, 35, of the Designer Outlet Village, said he expected the bank holiday weekend to prove the busiest of the year.

"It was another very good weekend for us," he said.

"There was a lot happening on the M4 on Saturday, but we more than made up for it on the Sunday. Yesterday was even more successful because of the inclement weather."

Joanna Burr of Roves Farm in Sevenhampton said: "We have had a reasonably successful weekend it was a bit of shame about the weather yesterday, but a good crowd still turned up."

Scores visited Coate Water Country Park to enjoy a quiet walk around the lake or a round of golf, and visitors to Lydiard Park yesterday were treated to a May Fair by members of Wootton Bassett Lions Club.