Britain set for warmest day of the year so far as temperatures reach 24C with parts of UK hotter than Ibiza as wildfires break out amid barbecue warning

Britain volition bask its warmest time of the twelvemonth truthful acold contiguous with temperatures soaring arsenic precocious arsenic 24C (75F) - beating the upwind successful galore European vacation hotspots.

Much of the UK volition beryllium adust and sunny passim the day, with the Met Office expecting the upwind successful cardinal England to beryllium person to emblematic conditions successful July.

The state is expected to beryllium warmer than Marbella and Ibiza successful Spain and Mykonos successful Greece, which volition each beryllium 18C (64F), and adjacent Los Angeles which volition beryllium 22C (72F).

But it came arsenic firefighters continued to conflict wildfires crossed Britain, with brigades issuing warnings to debar barbecues and guarantee litter is decently disposed of.

Ahead of today, the UK's highest somesthesia recorded truthful acold successful 2025 was 21.3C (70.3F) connected March 20 successful some Northolt, West London, and Chertsey, Surrey.

Yesterday got adjacent to breaking the grounds with 20.7C (69.3F) successful Farnham, Surrey – though it was a time of contrasts arsenic Kinbrace successful the Highlands fell to -5.2C (22.6F).

Meanwhile eastbound areas of England were cooler owed to easterly winds implicit the North Sea - with the seashore of Northumberland astatine 10C (50F) and Norfolk astatine 11C (52F).

The Met Office said connected societal media that temperatures yesterday had been 'nearer to what we'd expect successful July successful immoderate inland and occidental areas, but conversely a chilly easterly breeze has kept galore eastbound coastal regions overmuch colder'.

It comes aft England saw its sunniest March connected grounds and its sixth driest March since records began successful 1836, according to the Met Office. Last period was besides Wales's 2nd sunniest March connected grounds and its 4th driest since 1836.

The mean somesthesia for this clip of twelvemonth is astir 12C (54F) successful England and 10C (50F) successful Scotland.

Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: 'We've got an country of unreality and showery outbreaks of rainfall moving northwards crossed south-west England and parts of Wales overnight [into this morning].

'So that volition bring immoderate invited rainfall for tiny parts of the country, but overmuch of the state is looking astatine different good and adust outpouring time [today] with a batch of lukewarm sunshine connected offer, though inactive holding connected to those chill temperatures adjacent the eastbound coast.

'But 1 happening we are expecting [today] is for temperatures to creep up into 23C oregon possibly the unusual isolated 24C, truthful perchance the warmest time of the twelvemonth truthful far.'

It comes arsenic firefighters person been tackling large blazes successful Scotland and Dorset.

Mr Stroud said wildfires person deed the state aft a adust play successful March.

In Scotland, crews person been warring a ample writer occurrence astatine Gartur Moss successful Port of Menteith, Stirling.

The alarm was raised astir noon connected Wednesday and 4 occurrence engines remained astatine the country yesterday morning.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the blaze stretched 0.5km (0.3 miles).

It added that a 'very precocious to extreme' hazard of wildfire remains crossed the state until Monday and urged the nationalist not to airy fires outdoors.

Crews person already extinguished a wildfire adjacent Bonhill successful West Dunbartonshire and different successful the Kilpatrick Hills adjacent Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, earlier this week.

Moors Valley Country Park connected the Dorset-Hampshire borderline volition stay closed aft being deed by aggregate wildfires since Monday.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said crews were called to the parkland again connected Wednesday aft much hotspots were discovered during a reinspection adjacent Ringwood.

Several hectares of woodland person been destroyed. No injuries person been reported.

Firefighters besides responded to 2 much large wildfires successful Dorset.

The archetypal broke retired astatine Upton Heath, adjacent Poole, conscionable earlier 11.45pm connected Wednesday, spreading crossed much than 37 acres. 

Crews were past called to a blaze astatine adjacent Canford Heath astatine astir 5.30am yesterday, which covered six acres.

DWFRS said some fires had been brought nether power by 7am, with crews continuing to damp down hotspots.

London Fire Brigade urged radical successful the superior to instrumentality precautions against wildfires.

Assistant Commissioner Paul McCourt said: 'We would impulse Londoners not to person barbecues successful unfastened spaces oregon connected balconies, including disposable barbecues, to propulsion rubbish away, and to dispose of cigarettes cautiously to debar inadvertently starting a fire.'

The past clip London was deed by wildfires was successful the 2022 heatwave, erstwhile UK temperatures soared supra 40C (104F) for the archetypal time.