An astonishing natural firework display left thousands throughout southern and Mediterranean Europe enthralled last night, but sky-watchers in Britain were largely frustrated on a cloud-covered evening.

The skies above the UK should have been lit up between midnight and 4am by the Perseid meteor showers, with a shooting star every few seconds. Although the showers take place every year, 2007 is regarded as a special case as their arrival coincided with a new moon.

Usually, moonlight makes it difficult for the human eye to pick out most of the individual meteors, but against a velvety-black sky the display was meant to be mind-blowing.

However, for many who stayed up in Britain, a cloud covering obscured some of the most spectacular views.

Dr Gill Russell, a lecturer and astronomy expert based in Aberdeenshire, told Times Online that she saw only one meteor shower, as clouds blocked her view for much of the night.

"It was a real shame, as last night was one of the best nights of the year to see it," she said.

However, Dr Russell added that she saw a far more spectacular shower when the skies were clearer last Friday, as she took a holiday on the tiny Island of Muck, off the west coast of Scotland.

Spectacular views could be seen all over Europe, particularly to the south of the continent where skies were clearer.

Dr Francisco Diego, an astronomy lecturer at the University College London, watched from the Canary Islands, where he is spending three nights on the island of La Palma, viewing the meteors from the rim of an extinct volcano, the site of one of the world's most important observatories.

"It was an absolutely fantastic night last night," he said. "Shooting stars went on for about three hours - it was a really superb sight."

Astronomers say that the unique yearly phenomenon occurs as the earth passes through a trail of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which last swung into our solar system in 1992.

Tiny grains of dust ice collide with the earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 30 miles per second, each creating an arc of incandescent light.

However, anyone whose view of the shower was obstructed by cloudy skies last night need not despair. Dramatic scenes are still set to be visible at night time over the next few days provided that the skies are clear.

The best places to see the showers in Britain are the National Forest and New Forest, where outside light interference is at its smallest, Dr Diego says.

"From those areas, the artificial light interference is so small that you can actually see the milky way, and the view of the stars is often breathtaking," he added.

Times Recommends

• How I lost the gift of joy for a while
• Why Ann Widdecombe has got it wrong
• Alas, it’s the end of the road for petrolheads