Days after the hottest days of the year so far over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, parts of the UK are being warned of sub-zero temperatures as early as next week.

Met Office forecasters have warned temperatures are set to plummet in the early days of next week with temperatures set to fall below freezing in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of Northern England.

Tom Morgan, a forecaster at the Met Office, told the Express said some “rural” areas could see lows of -3 with overnight frost expected.

He said: "It's not great news for gardeners.

"They may have spent the weekend planting beneath the sun but we could see patchy frosts by Wednesday which could undo all of their hard work.

"Some rural spots could drop to -3C through the first part of the week."

What Met Office weather warnings mean

Snow weather forecast UK?

Jim Dale, a meteoroloigist at the British Weather Services also warned next week will be colder and even warned some parts of the UK could see late snowfall before summer gets underway.

He said: "Scotland may see wintry showers over high ground. It is going to feel like you need to put a jumper back on."

Met Office offer verdict on possibility of snow in the UK

WXCharts show the possibility of snowfall sweeping across the nation in the weeks ahead, particularly in the north.

However, the Met Office seems unconvinced the colder temperatures will lead to snowfall.

In its long weather forecast, the Met Office predict: "No heavy rainfall is likely, with any showers looking to be light. Generally light winds for most, perhaps breezy in the persistent easterly flow in the south and west, particularly at the start of the period."

Looking ahead at the next fortnight, leading up to17 May, the Met Office adds: "Turning more settled, with most likely a good deal of fine and dry weather for the remainder of the period, although there is still a chance of some brief unsettled spells at times. Temperatures are most likely to be above normal."