Advice on having fun in the sun

The first flakes of snow to land in the North East brought with them pandemonium and panic.

Roads were closed, events cancelled and the council inundated with demands to know “where are the gritters?”

Thank goodness the Beast From the East is now consigned to history with an upturn in weather.

But if you thought panic had been consigned to history, think again.

Just as we seem to be caught out by the arrival of winter every year, so we are struggling to comprehend hot weather in the summer.

As we bask in record April temperatures the warnings have come thick and fast.

Some are common sense and others worth repeating to keep you safe.

At the silly end is a call for those taking part in this weekend’s London Marathon to reconsider their choice of fancy dress costume in the sweltering heat! Visions of a fleet of Honey Monsters being stretchered off to hospital spring to mind.

On a more serious note there are some warnings we should heed.

Met Office meteorologists tell us yesterday was officially the warmest April since 1949 and they warned that despite Brits wanting to make the most of the sun should be cautious, with high UV rates increasing the chance of sunburn.

Those prone to hay fever also need to be careful, with the pollen count the highest it has been this year.

The levels are expected to continue until at least the end of next week.

And a final warning is not to go jumping in rivers to cool off. The water is nowhere near as warm as the air.

All sensible advice to make sure we enjoy the sun as much we endured the snow.