It was a Good Friday for ducks but Easter Sunday should live up to its name with clear skies and rising temperatures.

There were heavy showers across most of the UK on Friday but the clouds are clearing away and Saturday should be much drier, according to forecasters.

Sunday is set to be the best day of the Easter weekend with temperatures likely to reach 18C (64.4F), slightly above average for the time of year.

Rob Hutchinson, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "The good news is the showers are fading away. The rest of the weekend is looking a better picture."

He said there would be cloudy skies and some showers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Kent and East Anglia on Saturday.

"Elsewhere across the UK it'll be a much better day with some sun and just the odd shower. Temperature-wise it will be 10C (50F) to 13C (55.4F) or 14C (57.2F) in the sun."

Mr Hutchinson added: "Sunday will be the best day of the weekend. I wouldn't rule out the odd isolated shower but you'd be unlucky.

"It'll be mostly dry, which will lift temperatures to 17C (62.6F) or 18C (64.4F) in London - that's slightly above the average we'd expect for this time of year."

Rain is expected to return from the west on Monday with the eastern parts of England most likely to stay dry.