Snow hits hilly areas as mercury falls in May

The highest parts of the Pennines and Scotland were affected by a mixture of sleet and snow, with snow falling overnight on hills in north Wales, Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Forecasters are predicting the unsettled conditions will persist into next week, with chilly temperatures in some areas and more heavy rain across the North.

Snowfall in May is rare but not unprecedented. In 1979 there were four consecutive days of snowfall in early May.

Around two inches was estimated by local people to have fallen overnight in the hamlet of Anchor, on the Shropshire-Wales border.

Pub landlord Mike Steedman said he could not remember snow falling in the area during May.

The licensee, whose pub is around 1,300ft above sea level, said: “It was wet and heavy snow but it’s all gone now and it’s quite warm outside in the sunshine.”

Mark Shackleton, who works at the Dartmoor Brewery in Princetown, said: “We do get a lot of snow because we are high up at 1,400ft but you don’t normally get it in May this far south.

“It was quite surprising. Between one and two inches fell but by the morning most of it had melted.

“It’s a very late spring here and we are still trying to get the daffodils to come out in May, which is unbelievable.”

The forecast of further unsettled weather came after winds of up to 65mph battered British coastlines, blowing down trees and damaging roofs.

Devon and Cornwall Police reporting slates coming off roofs and trees blocking roads.

Gemma Plumb, forecaster with MeteoGroup, said the unsettled weather could continue through much of next week.

She added: “At the moment it looks as though on Saturday there is a potential to get some heavy and persistent rain across northern parts of the UK.”