What a difference a year makes...

There was no sign of the record breaking October of last year at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex today.

15 degrees centigrade was all the thermometer could reach, compared to 30 degrees on 1st October 2011.

Last year, hundreds of people flocked to Walton’s beaches to soak up some last minute sun after a disappointing July and August.

But this year, there has been little respite from the bad weather. The majority of beach huts lining the coast are boarded up.

The owner of Sunray’s Kiosk, Ray Mason, says his peak season is now over.

It brings an end to what he describes as the worse summer for trade that he can remember.