Hotter than the Sahara! Britain basks in 30C heat

Holidaymakers soaked up the sun at Brighton beach: PA

The start to the school summer holidays couldn't be better as Britain enjoyed temperatures of 30C today - the hottest day of the year so far.

A temperature of 29.7C (85.46F) was recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, near Gatwick Airport, this afternoon, according to the Daily Mail.

That beats the previous highest temperature of 29.3C (84.74) which was recorded in Achnagart, in the Highlands, on 25 May.

Beaches across the country were packed as people flocked to the coast to soak up the rays.
The glorious weather will continue this week, with temperatures possibly hitting 31C on Wednesday.

A Met Office spokesman told the paper: "We should see cloud-free skies for the next two days, with top temperatures reaching 30C today and 31C tomorrow.

"But a rain cloud is moving over the North-East and Scotland, with heavy rain expected in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland - although it will be fine and dry in the north of Scotland.

"The rain will be more patchy tomorrow, with just a band of cloud left over North Wales and the North of England by the end of the day."

The soaring temperatures mean that parts of Britain are hotter then Bermuda, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and the Western Sahara.

As welcome as the warm weather is, however, commuters have experienced a few delays, with train operating company Greater Anglia services implementing speed restrictions and cancellations due to the threat of older sections of overhead lines expanding and sagging in the heat.

According to the Telegraph, some passengers travelling from London Liverpool Street will be affected.

But temperatures are likely to be back down to around 21C at the weekend, so make the most of this week...

Soak up the sun on one of these top 10 top beaches in Britain:

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