Summer finally arrives as weather improves, for south of England at least

Heatwave could be on way in the south - but Scotland and the north should keep umbrellas handy

Summer could be on the way for the south of England (PA)

Summer is finally set to arrive in Britain after months of dreary, miserable weather.

Temperatures are expected to hit 21C by the middle of the week and could climb to a balmy 25C by the end.

Although Tuesday is likely to see showers, Wednesday will see the sun return again as the Azores high moves closer to Britain.

The Azores high is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure, normally found south of the Azores in the Atlantic. When it moves north, toward the Iberian peninsula, it brings spells of much-needed hot and dry weather.

Essentially, the closer the Azores high gets, the better the news is, for the south of England at least.

However, in the north, the picture is much more unsettled as areas of low pressure running round the Azores high bring showery spells - and westerly winds could put paid to Scottish hopes of a heatwave.

The Met Office said: "It is going to get much warmer, mostly in the south.

"High pressure is moving in through the weekend that is going to drive the warm weather; it is also going to be quite dry and pleasant for most places.

"There may be a few showers around next week, but for the most part it is going to be pleasant and turning warmer again."