Snow and bitterly cold conditions are expected to continue across the UK.

Any hopes of spring-like weather over the Bank Holiday weekend disappeared as snow, sleet and strong winds battered the country.

Wintry showers spread southwards from Scotland and north-eastern England, and East Anglia experienced heavy snow on Sunday, with up to three inches settling on the ground in parts of Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk.

The bitterly cold conditions reflect the fact that this year Easter falls at the earliest time for nearly a century.

The bad weather caused problems in the North East as strong winds and snow lashed the coast and added to congestion on the roads, which were already experiencing high levels of traffic for the four-day holiday.

Records show that the weekend of April 1-3 in 1983 was the snowiest Easter, when Scotland, the Midlands and Kent had up to four inches.

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