EASTER ARCTIC BLAST
Get ready for bank hol snow & rain hell
BRITAIN is set for a white Easter weekend after parts of the country were left blanketed in snow yesterday.
Swathes of northern England were hit by a whiteout, while southerners were drenched by heavy rain.
Northumberland, left, and Co. Durham were deluged by the white stuff last night, with temperatures tipped to plummet to a bone-chilling -5C.
And forecasters warned there is more snow to come on Monday.
Severe weather warnings are in place with snow drifts and rain putting a dampener on the four-day break.
Weathermen expect the Midlands, northern England, Wales, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland to bear the brunt of the storms.
BBC forecaster Matt Taylor said: “If you are planning to be on the move, please keep checking the forecast because the snow could be disruptive in places.
“It could well turn into some heavy snow at times – anywhere from the Midlands, Wales northwards into northern England, southern Scotland, and Northern Ireland in particular.”
Bookmakers say it is odds-on that Easter will be the wettest on record, with tomorrow set to deliver a holiday drenching.
Jessica Bridge from Ladbrokes said: “Miserable March looks intent on going out with a bang, but not in a good way, and the odds suggest we could be on course to see the wettest Easter ever.”
The Met Office also warned Britain could face power cuts, travel delays and disruption to air and rail services.
Yesterday holidaymakers were stranded for hours in huge queues as bank holiday traffic sparked gridlock on main roads and motorways.
About 26 million people are expected to travel on major routes over the fourday Easter break.
The RAC said drivers were expected to take almost 19million separate leisure journeys over Easter.
The M20 in Kent was at a standstill as travellers headed to Dover to make the most of the extended weekend.
Many are taking advantage of the big break to travel further afield, with airports packed with holidaymakers looking for some Easter sun.
Half a million people are flying out from Heathrow, 260,000 from Gatwick and 160,000 from Manchester.
Meanwhile, the Eurostar service from St Pancras is set to take 70,000 rail passengers under the Channel and into mainland Europe this weekend, with many headed to French capital Paris.
The Association of British Travel Agents estimates that 2.1million British holidaymakers will head abroad in total.