UK weather: Britain set for hottest day of the year as temperatures expected to hit 26C

Temperatures will be double the average for April on Wednesday

People enjoying the weather in St James's Park in London

Wednesday is on track to be the hottest day of 2015, with temperatures expected to be higher than in Ibiza, Greece and Italy.

Forecasters predict Athens will see highs of 20C, while Ibiza will hit a maximum 22C in comparison.

However, the UK will continue to see a north-south split in terms of weather conditions, where Scotland and northern England will experience cooler conditions and highs of 11C.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Yesterday we saw 22.8C in London, which was the hottest day of the year so far.

“Today 25C is certainly possible in the London area and there is a 30 per cent chance we could reach 26C in south-east England and southern areas.

“There will be much fresher air across Scotland and highs of around about 11C which is still average for this time of year, if not a little bit higher.”

The scorching weather is expected to dip slightly later in the week, but conditions will still remain warmer than average for this time of year.

“The fresher air will gradually slip down from the north to all parts of England tomorrow. Towards the south coast and south-west we could get up to 21C, but it is gradually cooling down over the next few days,” the spokesman said.

“The high pressure continues to dominate as we go into Friday and the weekend so there will be lots of dry weather around and despite the much fresher weather temperatures will be average or just above, so still pleasant in the sunshine.”