The Easter getaway has begun in earnest as forecasters predict miserable conditions for the bank holiday weekend.

The wintry weather that has enveloped much of Scotland and Northern Ireland for the last few days is receding only to be replaced by persistent rain.

On Thursday, tributes were paid to teenager Natasha Paton who died in a coach crash during atrocious weather.

Her school coach plunged 10ft into a stream during a snowstorm at Wiston in South Lanarkshire, Scotland on Wednesday.

The road and rail networks were busy but operating smoothly with neither Network Rail or the Highways Agency reporting any significant problems.

Forecasters warned of miserable holiday weather as the hangover from the freezing winter stubbornly refused to loosen its grip.