It will be another week before temperatures finally warm up to May norms, according to a weather expert.

With reports of dustings of snow on Tyneside on Tuesday, and more forecast over high ground in eastern Scotland overnight, the country remained in the grip of some unseasonally cold weather.

There is expected to be a widespread frost on Wednesday after freezing temperatures in many parts, and daytime temperatures will top out at just 13C (55F) in the south east - about 4C lower than normal.

Tiffany Curnick, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's going to be slow progress throughout the week.

"Milder air is coming in from the west, but we will still see maximum temperatures in the mid-teens in the south and the low teens in the north for the rest of the week, which is still quite chilly for May.

"It's not to warm up properly until the middle of next week."

She added: "Snow in May is not unheard of but it is cold for this time of year."