May is looking to be a great month for booking cheap last-minute holiday deals, agents and operators have confirmed.

Prices for short-haul breaks in May are dropping in the six week run-up to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and booking now should secure the best bargain.

Although you do run the risk of the holiday selling out, it’s been shown that the ‘grab-and-go’ method will probably work out as the cheapest option. And flights are available from most major UK airports, such as Heathrow and Luton.

Mark Atwell, managing director at Dealchecker, said: “In this market, booking at short notice will usually secure the best deal.

“To be exact – you’ll get the cheapest price on a package holiday if you can hold off booking until one month before.”

For example, if you’ve booked a seven-night break to Spain in May around five months ago it would cost on average ÂŁ300, whereas if you book it now, it’s available for ÂŁ200.

This actually comes as a surprise with many not expecting the bigger companies to drop their prices.

Maria Whiteman, chief executive at Directline Holidays, said: “I didn’t expect short-haul prices to drop in May because most operators – especially Thomas Cook – dramatically slashed capacity in expectation of a tough year.

“In fact, there are some amazing prices in May, some made possible by bedbanks working with local carriers offering cheap flights.”

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