The North-East enjoyed an unseasonably warm end to the Easter bank holiday yesterday, although many people found themselves in heavy traffic as they headed home after a weekend away.

And there is good news for those who fear the fine weather will be followed by a typically British cold spell - the sunshine is here to stay.

Over a weekend of clear skies and high temperatures, people headed for the coast - and the shops. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said consumers spent £3.5 billion during the Easter weekend.

Temperatures hit 16C (61F) in the South East on Saturday, well above the average of 10-13C (50-55F) across the country at this time of year. The warmest place was Aboyne in Scotland, which reached 17C (63F).

Yesterday was even warmer, with temperatures in south east England hitting highs of 16-18C (61-64F) and parts of the West Midlands reaching just short of 20C (68F). London saw temperatures of 19C (66F).

A forecaster for MeteoGroup UK said today would be similar, with temperatures of 18-19C (64-66F) in the South East and 15-16C (59-61F) in the rest of the UK.

Forecaster Brendan Jones said next weekend was expected to be even hotter, with temperatures possibly reaching 23C (73F).

He said: ''We're keeping the warm and fairly sunny weather right through until Friday, though there may be a few showers by the time we get to Friday and the weekend.

''Right through the week the highs are looking on the warm side, and in the south of the UK it will be close to 19-20C (66-68F) every day.

''It will be up to 22-23C (71.5-73) by Friday and Saturday, which is 9C (16F) above the average for this time of year.''

Traffic problems were not expected to reach the level of Good Friday's getaway, but many drivers experienced slow going on Britain's major routes as people headed home today ready for the return to work.

AA Roadwatch was reporting congestion on motorways and major routes across the country, including the M1, M6, M5 and M4, while the M62 was hampered by fog and accidents.

Despite the blue skies, many people were indoors over the weekend, spending an estimated £7.8 billion in the last seven days, a 4% rise on 2006.

On average, each household spent £350 this Bank Holiday weekend, it was estimated, with Easter eggs making up about 8% of the UK's annual spend on chocolate.

A BRC spokesman said ''the unofficial start of DIY season'' had begun, and the sunny weather would have led homeowners to visit home improvement and gardening stores.

A spokesman for DIY retailer B&Q said because of the good weather sales of barbecues had more than doubled compared with this time last year, while plants and garden furniture were both up by more than a quarter.

An estimated nine million visitors to DIY stores and garden centres over the Easter break will spend more than £370 on paint, tools and other home improvement products, according to a YouGov study of 2,353 people.

DIY retailers will take an estimated £1.5 billion at the tills this bank holiday, according to Wickes.

DIY stores were not the only retailers benefiting from the weekend spending spree, with a million shoppers flooding into London's West End, according to New West End Company.

New shopper footfall cameras recorded a 10% increase on last year and 16% up for Easter week on the previous week, the retail partnership said.

Along with the good weather, the widely publicised openings of stores including Abercrombie & Fitch, Armani Casa and Primark and an influx of ''shopping tourists'' from Europe, Russia and China have given the West End a bumper Easter.

Despite the sunny weather, retailers said consumers were turning to fake tanning products and sun creams instead of burning in the sun.

Sales at Superdrug, Britain's second largest beauty and health retailer, of both high-factor sun protection and bronzing products were significantly up on 2006.

Superdrug's store in London's Oxford Street sold more than 2,000 bottles of self-tan over the weekend.

Sales of high protection (over SPF15) sun lotion were also up, and the company said sales of high protection lotion were increasing by more than 20% each year.

The unseasonably warm spell sent many sunseekers out of the cities to British resorts - leading coastguards to deal with a number of incidents.

One holidaymaker was lucky to escape unhurt after she fell part-way down a 120ft cliff and was left clinging to the edge.

The 32-year-old Brazilian woman was looking at the views when her rucksack got caught on bushes and she fell around 30ft from the cliff path at Whitsand beach in Torquay, Devon, on Saturday afternoon.

She managed to call for help using her mobile phone while ''clinging precariously'' to the cliff edge, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Following the warm Easter weekend, bookmakers Ladbrokes are offering odds of 3-1 that the thermometer tops 80F (26.6C) for the next bank holiday on May 7.

The bookmakers are also offering odds of 12-1 on a scorching summer that breaks the UK's record temperature of 101.3F or 38.5C.

Following the warm Easter weekend, bookmakers Ladbrokes are offering odds of 3-1 that the thermometer tops 80F (26.6C) for the next bank holiday on May 7.

The bookmakers are also offering odds of 12-1 on a scorching summer that breaks the UK's record temperature of 101.3F or 38.5C.