BRRRACE yourself, Suffolk.

The clocks may have leapt forward heralding the start of British summertime but with just 52 hours of sunshine in the last month, forecasters are warning Spring is still a way off.

We have shivered through one of the coldest Easters on record, with snow flurries across the weekend.

But shorts and t-shirt weather is a distant hope with experts predicting another three weeks of icy temperatures.

Jim Bacon, forecaster at Weatherquest, said a number of factors are behind the cool temperatures.

He added: “We have generally got away without too much of the snow and what we are left with now is the north easterly winds that implies we will have a cold two or three weeks.

“The temperatures of the North Sea are quite a bit lower than usual which means any wind coming from the north east is going to bring in cold air across the eastern counties.

“This is certainly the lowest sea temperatures have been in a while.

“Just off the coat at Felixstowe, for example, a buoy recorded 3C for the temperature, so any air blowing in from that direction is not going to be warm.”

The mercury struggled to top number 6C over the Easter weekend and blasts of snow were seen in some parts of Suffolk, including Ipswich.

That looks like it will be the theme of the next few weeks, with temperatures struggling to get to double figures.

Mr Bacon believes freezing temperatures out in the North Sea, which are contributing to the bitter weather, could ironically, be down to the poor weather last summer.

He said: “The low temperature is one of those things that are on long term scales, so you could put it down to a poor performance last summer, when we had unsettled weather – there wasn’t a lot of sunshine warming the North Sea.

“This is like a knock on from that and there is a possibility that it is a contributing factor.

“That is something you don’t put right with the first sunny day, hence the long slow spring.

“The climates last year knocked our chances of storing energy in the North Sea.”

Despite lower than average temperatures the weather is still expected to slowly improve in the coming weeks.

But Mr Bacon admitted temperatures will probably remain below the average for this time of year.

Freezing temperature could have a major impact on animal numbers in Suffolk, according to bosses at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

Spokeswoman for the organisation has called on people to continuefeeding birds as the cold weather means the food sources they usually rely on may not be available.

Cold weather will also mean hibernating animals will come out of hibernation later and, as a result, the breeding season will be delayed.

Reptiles including the adder and the common lizard could all have their numbers affected – but other creatures may see benefit such as the dormouse because it can conserve energy.

Julian Roughton, chief executive if the trust, said: “Although we are not too worried at the moment, if the cold weather continues, there will be concerns about the very narrow window this will leave for the breeding season of many species.”