According to scientists at Bangor University, the summit has already lost about a third of the ice on its surface in the last 10 years and could well be entirely snow free in the next 15.The average temperature on the mountain top has risen steadily, and is on average about 2.5C higher than in the 1960s in spring time.

This dramatic news has caused must consternation in the country and a Welsh Assembly energy group intends to discuss the problem in a conference next Tuesday in Cardiff Bay.

Dr Clive Walmsley, who will be attending the meeting and is a climate change expert with the Countryside Council for Wales, said: “We’ve been recording the snowline on the mountain for the last 14 years and over that time we’ve seen a distinct downward trend in the snow cover - not only in the height at which the snow is occurring but also in the season.

“For example, this year both September and October were free of snow so the season is getting shorter and the amount of snow cover on Snowdon is declining as well.”

He added: “The changes that we’ve monitored are actually quicker bearing in mind for the last two years the snow cover on Snowdon has actually been half what we’d expect in a bad year going back in time. So we are actually seeing more dramatic effects than might have been expected.”

Click here for Snowdon website