The UK has recorded its hottest temperature of the year so far, with Kinloss in northern Scotland hitting 24.6C (76.3F) this afternoon.

The Met Office said it had beaten the previous high, set on 30 March, when Kew Gardens in London reached 24.5C.

The bank holiday heat comes after two days of glorious weather across most of the country.

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People flocked to parks, beaches, pubs and restaurants to enjoy the sun following the recent easing of coronavirus restrictions.

It marks a welcome change from the past few weeks – May has been the fourth wettest on record for the UK and the wettest ever for Wales.

The Coastguard earlier encouraged people to stay safe as many people headed to the seaside, lakes and rivers.

Met Office forecasters said low cloud and mist in areas of the east coast would make it cooler than the rest of the country, with temperatures between 12C (53.6F) and 16C (60.8F).

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Wednesday could be even warmer – with 27C (80.6F) possible, before cooler air moves in.

With summer just beginning there is still plenty of time for temperatures to climb further and possibly approach the 2020 high – when 37.8C (100F) was recorded at Heathrow on 31 July.

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