Snow carpeted parts of Sussex yesterday as temperatures dropped to half the average expected for this time of year.

Despite plunging temperatures, the county did not suffer the forecast severe weather.

Hail and snow fell over the weekend in parts of the county but the prospect of a white Easter failed to materialise.

Forecasters at the Met Office said there will be no immediate improvement in temperatures over the next few days although the threat of snow and rain has passed.

A spokesman said: "The worst affected parts of the country during Easter Sunday were up in the North East.

"In other parts, though, the sun is so strong that snow is just not going to lie.

"Temperatures are between 4C and 5C, which is cold for this time of year but not unheard of."

The spokesman said temperatures should be back to the average of 10C by the end of this week.

Last Easter it was a different story when visitors packed out Brighton beach to bask in the sun and take advantage of the unusually warm temperatures.

This year, the predicted gridlock on the roads failed to materialise as people mostly stayed at home.

An RAC spokesman reported no traffic problems on major Sussex routes over the weekend.

He said: "What we saw at the start of the weekend was a nightmare as people all rushed to get away.

"On Monday people will head home from Gatwick after they've been away.

"There might be a problem on the M23 around Gatwick and roads going into Brighton as people return ready for work on Tuesday."

As well as traffic queues, travellers also faced lengthy waits at Gatwick over the weekend Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green released figures showing the number of immigration officers at Heathrow and Gatwick had increased by 5.9 per cent since 2001, while the number of passengers travelling through the airport had grown by 12.5 per cent over the same period.

He said: "Anyone stuck in a queue at Heathrow or Gatwick this Easter knows who to blame.

"The Government talks tough on immigration but won't employ the staff who can both keep out those who shouldn't be coming here and make life easier for the genuine tourist or British citizen."

Did you stay at home instead of go out for the day because of the cold weather? Tell us how you spent the Easter weekend below.