Met Office weather – Brits flock to beaches across UK in 23C Bank Holiday scorcher – with more hot weather set to come

BRITS flocked to beaches across the UK as temperatures rocketed to 23C - with the mini heatwave set to continue.

The UK is enjoying wall-to-wall sunshine over the Bank Holiday with the mercury hitting the mid-20Cs yesterday.

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And the warm weather is set to continue over the next few days - with Monday predicted to hit a scorching 25C on the hottest day of the year so far.

Brits packed out beaches across the coastline on Saturday to enjoy the sunshine after weeks of rain and strong winds.

Families flocked to Bournemouth beach, while tourists were seen sunbathing on punts down the River Cam in Cambridge.

And in Lyme Regis, Dorset, Brits arrived in their dozens to make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend in the balmy weather.

Heading into Sunday, the weather will pick up for most areas in the UK as Brits will be able to bask in sunshine and enjoy a warm Bank Holiday.

Temperatures reached 23C in London on Saturday and are expected to hit 24C in Manchester and Liverpool on Sunday.

But Britain is bracing for its hottest day of the year so far on Bank Holiday Monday.

The mercury is tipped to reach 25C, meaning it would surpass the current high for 2021, which was 24.5C recorded in Kew Gardens on March 31.

Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin said: "Sunglasses, sunhat and sun screen definitely required this weekend.

"Finally, some warm sunshine on offer this May after what has been a very, very chilly month."

He added: "We will start the weekend with a lot of cloud and for some it will be a bit damp and dreary, initially, certainly over the Midlands, parts of Wales and the west coast of Scotland, but that rain should be fizzling out through the morning.

"Most places will steadily brighten up but it could take a while.

"Some places will be cloudy into the afternoon, but generally it is turning sunnier as the day goes on."

Spring has been plagued by thunderstorms and gales, a stark contrast to the balmy sunshine this time last year.

Wales has suffered its wettest May on record, with figures going back to 1862 - and there's still another week of the month to go.

Dorset, Bristol and eastern parts of Scotland have also been particularly hard-hit by downpours.

Across the UK as a whole, it has been the tenth wettest May on record, according to figures from the Met Office. 

Met Office forecaster Matthew Box said the news would be a "welcome change" for many.

He said: "Given that we have had a reasonably cold and then a wet couple of months through spring, with April being cold and May being wet and cloudy and generally on the cool side too, we've got a sunny end to May."

The warm weather is set to continue for the first half of June as the Met Office's long-range forecast predicts the heatwave will stay for up to two weeks.

MOMENT IN THE SUN

The first week will see the warm, settled conditions we see this weekend continue.

According to the latest graphs, temperatures are set to hover around 20C until mid-June due to a band of hot weather hitting the country.

And for the second week above average temperatures remain, however there will be some showers.

The bright spell is set to see millions of cooped-up Brits flocking to the coast in the coming months - with this summer tipped to be the busiest on record for beachgoers.

It is now odds-on with Ladbrokes the UK sizzles in highs of 25C during the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

Odds of just 4/6 are on offer that the thermometer hits 25C this weekend during the extended break from work.

Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes said: "Brits looks set to bask in the sunshine all weekend, kicking off a week-long heatwave of scorching temperatures."