WHILE the rest of the country is grinding to halt in the face of the Beast From The East, a North-East postman has been out delivering letters in his shorts on Wednesday.

Alistair Beadle, 48, has been turning heads while out on his round in Hurworth-on-Tees, near Darlington.

Father-of-two Alistair, who lives in Northallerton, said: "I don't know what all the fuss is about – it's just a lot more comfortable wearing shorts."

"It really isn't that cold. It might be different if there was a wind blowing, I might wear water-proof trousers then, but this is OK."