There is an end in sight to a severe cold snap that has gripped Suffolk and Essex, with weather experts predicting a rise in temperatures this week.

Weatherquest forecaster Chris Bell assured the region had seen the last of snow for the foreseeable future.

Temperatures could hit highs of 10C (50F) this week, offering a welcome break to the arctic conditions that were brought by The Beast from the East.

However, Mr Bell said expected rainfall presented the risk of flooding while the ground was still frozen from snow as water would not be able to sink away.

“The general idea is it’s going to be much less cold, so daytime temperatures over the next few days will be 7C (44.6F) to 9C (48.2F) or 10C (50F),” Mr Bell said.

He added: “It will be quite changeable and generally unsettled but we have lost the really cold air.”

Mr Bell said overnight temperatures could drop below freezing so people may still need to scrape ice off their cars in the mornings.

There has been heavy rain across parts of the region today, but it is expected to gradually died out over the evening.

Mr Bell said tomorrow and Tuesday should be drier, but more showers were due to hit later in the week.

Last week a severe weather front nicknamed The Beast from the East caused chaos across the region.

Travel networks were seriously disrupted as snow and ice made roads and railway lines treacherous.

This was later exacerbated by Storm Emma, which brought high winds and created dangerous snowdrifts.