WHILE the rest of the country basks in temperatures of up to 30C, the North-East has been blighted by cloud, fog and rain – and it’s all down to the North Sea.

Thousands of sun-seekers have been flocking to beaches across the country to enjoy the glorious summer weather.

However, across our region, people have been straining their eyes to see if the sun is really there.

Experts at the Met Office said the North- East often struggles to reach the highest temperatures because of the depth of the North Sea.

A spokesman said: “The weather in the North-East is dependent on the direction of the wind. If it is coming from the east, the moisture coming off the North Sea cools the temperature down on the coast.

“This is something that tends to happen in late spring and early summer. It creates more cloud and mist, shielding the sun so it doesn’t get as hot as other parts of the country.”

North of the Humber, the North Sea covers a larger area and is of a greater depth than coastal areas further south, resulting in more moisture to cool down warm temperatures.

If the wind is blowing onto the coast, then it is unlikely the North-East will enjoy scorching weather.

However, the Met Office spokesman said the Pennines prevents the region from receiving a lot of bad weather that hits the west of the country.

“The North-East often misses out on the bad weather which comes in from the west or south west as the Pennines act as a shelter,”

he said.

The Met Office has issued a heat warning for the UK, after forecasters predicted the warm weather could last until the weekend.

Inland areas are expected to enjoy temperatures between 24C and 30C, while the coast will be cooler and cloudy.

A “heat health” warning was issued by the Met Office because night-time temperatures could remain as high as 18C.

The Department of Health said the elderly and young children are most at risk in hot weather and has advised staying out of the sun, avoiding going out in the hottest part of the day and drinking lots of water.