When will UK heatwave arrive? Parts of Britain to be hotter than Athens from Thursday

Brits love a good temperature comparison - particularly when the school holidays are either under way or looming - so we are delighted to share that the UK could be hotter than both Athens, Barcelona and Ibiza later this week.

Most of the country is already enjoying blue skies and sunny weather with little sign of rain ... and it is going to keep on getting better.

Temperatures will climb gradually this week and could peak at 21C on Thursday in the south of England, the Met Office said.

South Wales and Somerset could reach 20C and may be hotter than Athens and Barcelona on Thursday, where highs of 17C and 16C are forecast respectively.

While some rain and cloudiness hit Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland on Monday morning, the weather is generally expected to remain dry and sunny across the country throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend.

“It is a fine dry and sunny day for many through the day on Monday, with temperatures well above average for the time of year and that theme is set to continue for much of the week,” Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said.

“There will be a settled period for the UK’s weather and temperatures will possibly get as high as 21C on Thursday.”

Mr Dixon said high pressure is set to be near or over the UK in the coming week and into the weekend, leading to warm and dry conditions.

He said: “On Tuesday morning there will be the start of some low cloud in some parts of the Midlands and central England but will clear up quite quickly.

“Through the middle of the week it will be a touch breezier in the South West, but it will still feel much warmer than average.”

“On Friday and Saturday we are likely to see a touch of fog in eastern Scotland and north-east England which will subdue temperatures in these areas,” Mr Dixon added.

Although temperatures are likely to gradually drop on Saturday, they will still hover around the mid-teens and are likely to be higher than the average maximum temperature of 12C for the UK in April, forecasters said.

The warm weather still falls some way short of the record high in April of 29.4C, which was recorded Camden Square, London, in 1949, Met Office records show.

Beachgoers were out in their droves during the mild weekend on the south coast, providing a boost for seasonal businesses.

Katy Alston, who has been in the ice cream trade for more than 20 years and runs Pinks Parlour near the beach in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, said business was booming at the weekend.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful,” 57-year-old Ms Alston said.

“Everything has been so tough and this weekend it’s like we have seen light again.”

She said the mild weather was “perfect timing” with Mother’s Day on Sunday.

The Met Office said the dry weather is likely to persist into the weekend and early next week, though there is less certainty when forecasting much further into April.

“We are really excited and feeling really positive (about the forecast),” Ms Alston added.