UK weather: No chance of a white Christmas as Britain enjoys soaring temperatures

Kent has recorded temperatures of 17C, while Carlisle, Perhsore in Worcestershire and parts of London also reporting 16C

Enjoying the weather? People punt along the river in Cambridge (PA)

Scrooges rejoice: there’s no chance of a white Christmas this year, according to forecasters.

While the British are unlikely to enjoy a cold snap, the weather has not reached record-breaking temperatures with the latest forecast still a degree below the warmest ever.

Kent has recorded temperatures of 17C, while Carlisle, Perhsore in Worcestershire and parts of London also reporting 16C.

However, a spokesperson for the Met Office said the high temperature reported – while “exceptional” – was down to a different reading of daytime and night temperatures and that the highest recorded temperature for this time of year for England was in 1994.

“Today looks like it will be the last exceptionally mild day…the next days will still be above average but not as much,” spokesperson Charles Powell told The Independent.

He said the conditions were due to a “south-south westerly” moving air currents from Africa, giving us the “exceptionally” warm conditions.

“By the end of the week we will have a slightly fresher feel but nothing too cold. In the coming weeks we should see a return to something warmer, but it will still feel more seasonal,” he added.