What happened to the British summer?

There are no signs of the weather getting any better

Long afternoons in the garden, the sound of children playing in the park and the smell of barbeques have all become part of the British summer ideal.

The problem - this year at least - is that our expectations have been swamped by the reality of miserable, rainy days and chilly evenings.

Weather forecasters warn that there is no sign of improvement, with pub gardens destined to remain empty and only the bravest souls likely to venture onto Britain's wind-swept beaches.

But were the summers of years gone-by, for which we are so nostalgic, really that much better?

'No good'

BBC weather forecaster Helen Young is certain that this year really has been worse - even though some statistics suggest it has been average.

At least Wimbledon crowds are used to rain

She said that during the first seven days of July Britain had more than half the rain that would normally fall in the entire month.

And while June had slightly less rain than average, temperatures were also lower, leaving the country to face one overcast day after another.

Young said: "It's just one of those years that's no good.

"Normally June, July, August and even September are lovely.

"It's been bad and you could say we're just being unlucky."

'Great indoors'

The weather has been at its worst in Glasgow, which has seen rainfall up 50% on last year.

I don't think that we're about to slit our wrists because we've had a wet summer

Glasgow tourist boss

Eddie Frierl, who heads the city's tourist board, said bad weather came as no surprise to Glaswegians, who were well used to offering tourists the pleasures of the "great indoors".

He said: "People don't come to cities because of the weather thankfully, otherwise we might be in some trouble.

"Cities, I think, are much more interesting in terms of the arts, culture, shopping, nightlife and all the rest of it.

"So, I don't think that we're about to slit our wrists because we've had a wet summer."

'Dry days'

The problems caused by the rain have been worse for many farmers, who rely on dry days for harvesting and making hay.

Devon farmer Tony Beard said the seasons seem to be changing, and planning when to carry out routine tasks is becoming more difficult.

He said many dairy farmers may find it difficult to get the two or three crops of silage they could normally expect.

"After the amount of rain [we have had] the ground gets soft, so as soon as the rain stops you can't go into the field and start mowing and harvesting," Mr Beard said.

"And particularly with hay you need three or four really nice dry days to make the grass wilt and turn into hay."

For now, there is no prospect of the conditions Mr Beard and other farmers are so keen to see.

"For the next six to 10 days there's no sign of long spells of dry or hot weather," said Young.