The bookies may have lowered their odds on a white Easter, but it looks like they spoke too soon as parts of east London and Croydon defy the rainy bank holiday tradition in favour of snowfall.

Snow has been falling lightly in Hackney and Croydon, in between sunny spells, despite forecasters at the Met Office predicting that only isolated parts of the north east would see anything more than frosty nights over the weekend.

As many Londoners leave the capital to head for sunshine in Europe and further afield, others have made their way to ski resorts to make the most of what is reported to be the best ever conditions on the slopes. The unusually cold spell that has gripped the UK since January is expected to last until the end of April.

But spring looks set to bite back as the weekend continues, with predictions of strong sunshine across London and the rest of country from Sunday onwards, although things will remain very cold. Monday is forecast to see the most sun and remain dry.

The snowfall in Hackney and Croydon looks unlikely to settle and shouldn’t cause any interruptions to transport or road conditions.