Arctic maritime air will bring a cold snap to Cumbria next week with frosts and wintry showers.

Met Office forecasters expect the run of cold nights to continue and anticipate a colder plunge across the UK next week.

Graham Madge, of the Met Office, said the temperature is expected to be significantly colder next week because of the Arctic maritime air.

"You can imagine where that's coming from," he said. "There will be a mix of wintry showers associated with that air as it comes further south. In the higher fells there might be overnight snow fall."

On Saturday night and into Sunday morning, frosts are expected in northern and central Britain. These frosts will continue into next week in places with clear skies at night.

Although frosts in April are not unusual, March this year was the fifth warmest since 1910.

Tim Legg, a member of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “Detailed frost recording in the UK began in 1961. With only 11 days of frost, March 2017 was the most frost-free since March 1998.

"In fact, England had fewer air frosts than in any other March since records of air frost began in 1961, with several stations in the south including Farnborough, Larkhill and Boscombe Down having had no air frosts at all during March."

Mr Legg added that the low number of frosts may have lulled gardeners into a false sense of security.

Guy Barter, chief horticultural advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society, said: “Frosty weather at this time of year is always a worry for gardeners as fruit blossom in particular is vulnerable to damage.

"There is not much that can be done to protect apples, plums and other tree fruits but strawberries can be covered with cloches, curtains or a fleece at night, although care must be taken to allow bees to pollinate during the day.

“Happily, soft fruit – such as currants and gooseberries – are leafy now and the foliage shelters the flowers from frost. Grape vines are sending out vulnerable buds and these too can benefit from a fleece-covering where possible.

“At least cold nights hold back lawns, so less mowing is needed. They also inhibit weeds, so gardeners can get ahead with the weeding before the really busy period ahead.”