Reading festival-goers out in force in denim hotpants and wellies as Britain basks in balmy 25C sunshine – but it’s not quite as warm up north!

MUSIC lovers heading to the Reading Festival will enjoy summer weather today — but it could be damper for those at the Leeds site.

Forecasters predict sunny spells with temperatures of 75F (24C) in the South, while the North will be 63F (17C) with showers. It will be mostly dry and sunny tomorrow.

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The Met Office reported a high temperature of 22C in Reading today and fans had plenty of time to enjoy the hot weather as there were extremely long queues leading up to the main arena.

Campsite assistants were unsure why there was a delay. One said: "I am note sure why the gates aren't open yet, probably sound check or something silly."

Security was tight as a result of recent terror attacks, and bag checks slowed down the crowds even further as they inched towards the entrance. No bags bigger than an A4 sheet of paper were allowed into the arena.

Emma, a young festival fan dressed in a tie-dye top and floral wellies said: "It's ridiculous that they only have one lane for bag checking and four lanes for people without bags. Obviously everyone's going to have a bag."

Inside the main arena these troubles were quickly forgotten and smiling people wandered around the many shops and food stalls, sat on the green grass and waited near the stages for the first acts of the day.

And the lucky festival goers look set for a sunny weekend with temperatures expected to rise to 23C on Saturday and Sunday.

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Many people were looking forward to seeing headliners Kasabian play on the Main Stage this evening.

In contrast to the sunny skies in Little John's Farm, Reading, Leeds revellers were greeted with mucky fields ahead of the festival kick off.

But the music lovers didn't let the washout dampen their spirits as they set up camp clad in waterproof ponchos.

Thousands of welly-wearing revellers trudged through the sodden fields today as the festival kicked off with rain clouds hovering over the event.

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Some festival-goers were seen squelching across the mud laden down with booze at Bramham Park after a miserable morning.

The site had a top temperature of 18C today, but its not all doom and gloom as the mercury is set to hit 20C on Sunday.

As per tradition, Reading and Leeds take place simultaneously over the August Bank Holiday.

The line-up remains the same across both sites - with the bands performing on a rotation to cover both grounds.

But despite Leeds' washout, the forecast looks good for the rest of the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Oli Claydon from the Met Office said: "It should be a great bank holiday weekend. Friday was fine, bright conditions and that should continue throughout the weekend.

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"Saturday and Sunday should have highs of about 24 or 25 degrees and be fine and dry although there may be some high-level cloud making the sunshine a little hazy.

"Monday is looking even brighter and lots of sunshine, temperature of 22 to 24 degrees. The only part of the UK that won't be dry is the far north west, which will have a few showers on Saturday and again on Monday."

The wet weather in the north of England is experiencing is not expected to reach the rest of the country until Tuesday.