Frosty Forecast Dampens Bank Holiday Weekend

Gardening, barbecues and beach trips are off the agenda this Bank Holiday weekend as chilly temperatures keep people inside.

Extensive frosts and even scattered snow in Scotland has sent the mercury plummeting.

Sunday's chill comes after a dip to minus 4C in Scotland on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the rest of the UK also continues to experience lower than average readings , which are predicted to last until Monday.

Sky weather presenter Isobel Lang said the May frosts "may catch out some gardeners".

Cloud is set to hang over the southern parts of Britain during the course of the weekend, adding to the gloomy feeling.

The early long weekend snow in Scotland may well continue into Monday.

"As rain spreads in from the west on Bank Holiday Monday this may also be preceded by some snow over high ground in the North, but only for a short time."

The dismal outlook for the long weekend follows weeks of wet weather that brought floods to widespread areas of Britain.

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The recent rain and flooding has even forced organisers of the annual British Asparagus Festival to cancel the event - because of a lack of asparagus.

Organisers said that, after an unusually warm March, the flooding that followed heavy rain and cool temperatures in April had left the seasonal vegetable "almost completely dormant".

Floodwaters have left the venue for the festival, which was due to take place this weekend in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire, under several inches of water after the River Avon burst its banks.

On the roads, a serious crash on the M40 motorway in Oxfordshire on Saturday caused delays for football fans heading to Wembley for the FA Cup final , between Liverpool and Chelsea.

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One man was killed after a Mercedes people carrier taxi carrying six passengers crashed through the central reservation between junctions eight and nine.

The dead man was one of the passengers, and three others were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Disruptions due to trains cancellations because of railway engineering work, scheduled to last until Monday morning , on the crucial link between Crewe and Warrington.

However across the country, roads were expected to be clearer than usual this Bank Holiday due to the chilly forecast.

An AA spokesman said: "We don't think there will be significant getaways of traffic. A lot of people will be staying at home and doing their own thing.

"The weather's been so foul over the last month, I doubt many people have made plans to head off.

"It discourages people from going out and if people are staying at home it's going to be more of a DIY weekend than a travelling to the seaside one.

"People aren't going to be travelling long distances."

Officials at the Environment Agency have warned that many roads and fields are still under water.

An agency spokesman said: "We continuing to keep a close watch on river levels as well as checking defences and clearing any potential blockages to reduce the risk of flooding.

"There is still a lot of floodwater around and the Environment Agency is urging people to keep away from swollen rivers, and not attempt to walk or drive through them."

Tourist resorts said they did not have high hopes for takings over the weekend.

Claire Smith, president of Stay Blackpool , said: "It's not looking like a fab Bank Holiday. People only have so much money to spend and it's not that long since Easter. I also think people are making plans for the Jubilee weekend.

"The weather's very random at the moment so this is perhaps not going to be our best."