EASTER bank holiday is shaping up to be a scorcher - only days after some parts of the country had snow.

As the holiday weekend approaches, Britain is in for plenty of sunshine with temperatures likely to soar to summer highs.

In the North-East, weathermen said the temperature could reach as high as 70F (21C) by the end of the week.

It will be warm today but strong winds - near gale force for a time - will keep the edge off temperatures.

Things will change from Wednesday onwards with longer periods of sunshine.

Thursday will be the best day - dry and sunny with a light south-easterly wind.

By the weekend light cloud will move in but the temperature will remain above the seasonal norm.

Elsewhere in the country, the dramatic change will see most areas reaching highs of 26C on Thursday - ensuring a hot start to the long weekend.

A Met Office spokesman said: "It's going to be a very pleasant Easter weekend for all of us."

The latest spell caps a month of dry weather punctuated by spells of freak snowfall.

Last week, parts of North and East Yorkshire had a covering of snow and forced people to wrap up warm in hats and scarves.