THE long Easter bank holiday weekend is upon us and no doubt the Gods will tease and make it a gloriously sunny affair.

Had it been a normal bank holiday it would surely have drizzled throughout, but irony dictates that whilst we're all on lockdown, the sun will shine.

Of course, blue skies will still be welcomed by residents with gardens - but spare a thought for those living in apartment blocks with no balconies and just an hour to get outside and enjoy some fresh air.

Rating hardship isn't particularly useful, but having empathy with others certainly is, and one hopes that second home owners with boltholes in the Yorkshire Dales and Moors will think of local people this Easter and stay in their main homes.

Social media has been awash this week with complaints from rural residents in the Home Counties, Devon and Cornwall who say that Londoners are ditching the Captial in favour of their country residences for the bank holiday.

One commenter described them as 'descending like Angles of death in Chelsea tractors' in reference to the ostentatious four-wheel drives favoured by some rich city dwellers.

Their arrogance is infuriating.

And it must be particularly galling for the rural residents who keep their local services thriving throughout the year to suddenly be put at real risk of a potentially deadly virus because part-timers decide their leisure time is more important than people's lives.

The Government's 'stay at home' message couldn't be clearer so let's hope that those lucky enough to call God's Own Country their second home stay away, for now.