WITH less than a week to go to Christmas Day, weather experts still have not ruled out the possibility of Ipswich getting its first White Christmas since 1970.

WITH less than a week to go to Christmas Day, weather experts have finally ruled out the possibility of Ipswich getting its first White Christmas since 1970.

Until earlier this week they were still holding out the hope that the cold weather could remain until the big day.

But now they are agreed that the cold weather will leave us this weekend - shutting the door on hopes of Christmas snow.

Experts at the government's meteorological office had earlier estimated there was a 15 per cent chance of snow in southern England on Christmas Day.

Snow at Christmas has become increasingly rare over the last century. During Victorian times it was common as the earth emerged from a period known as “the Little Ice Age.”

And there has been little snow at any time in the winter over the last few years - the last time snow caused serious disruption over more than a singled day in Suffolk was in early 1987.

But that came well after Christmas.

Evening Star weatherman Ken Blowers said it was very difficult to forecast exactly when things would change over the weekend - but warned that any snow was unlikely to hang around.

He said: “You aren't going to see any Christmas Card scenes, I'm afraid. We don't know when, or if, any snow will come.

“But if it does fall then it's not going to be for very long and it isn't going to settle on the ground - the temperatures will quickly rise and it will get much too mild for snow!”

It has been 37 years since the last White Christmas in Suffolk - although there was still dirty snow on the ground from earlier in the month over the festive season in 1981.

But that doesn't stop people from having a flutter on festive snow - Ladbrokes have offered odds of 4/1 against snow falling in the capital.