AFTER Good Friday's deluge you would have thought things could only get better. In fact, they only got wetter.

April showers gave way to snowstorms and Easter turned from a washout to a white-out.

And still the ever-faithful British holidaymaker headed for the coast in the vain hope that sunshine would be found on the shore.

At Scarborough, hundreds of tourists wrapped in waterproofs as colourful as candy rock braced the freezing snow, sleet and rain for an Easter Sunday day out.

Most took shelter in amusement arcades and cafs or hovered in doorways eating trays of steaming fish and chips - all united by a look which said: 'We should have known better'.

On the beach, the only sign of life were the donkeys, complete with their winter jackets. And their only movements were to dip their heads into their food buckets.

Trader Violeta Watson, who runs Beach Kitchen with a statue of a giant ice cream outside on the sand, said she had been busy selling hot drinks and burgers, but admitted numbers were down on previous Easters.

"It's disappointing," she said. "There are people around, but the weather hasn't been good. They certainly don't want ice cream."Andrew Kraft, manager of the Mermaid Gift Shop, said the appalling weather had killed off trade.

"We are not taking anything. If it wasn't for the weather there would be three times as many people in the town."

Sylvia Fletcher, who runs a fresh seafood stall, said business was very slow: "Most people have gone back to their hotels. There's so few people about."

Diane and Les Davies, holidaying with their two children Thomas and Kyle at Malton, tried to put a brave face on things.

"It's better than staying at home decorating," smiled Diane.

As another snow storm swept across Scarborough's South Bay, the thought of a paint pot and roller - with the essential tea break - suddenly seemed very inviting.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.