30 degrees! Hotter than Spain, and it's already October

It meant the region had topped temperatures in the holiday hotspot islands of Ibiza and Majorca and the Spanish capital Madrid.

But not everybody in Britain shared in the heatwave. While people in much of the country headed for beaches and parks to soak up the sunshine or fired up barbecues, rain fell on parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Rachel Vince, senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said RAF Finningley in Yorkshire recorded a sweltering 30C (86F) at 3pm.

Gravesend in Kent was not far behind - reaching 29.6C (85.3F) at 3pm.

The previous October record of 29.4C (85F) was set in March, Cambridgeshire in 1985.

Wales also broke its October record, which had stood since 1985, when Hawarden reached 28.2C (80.6F) shortly after 2pm today.

The UK's hottest day of 2011 was June 27 when a temperature of 33.3C (91.9F) was recorded at the Olympic Park in London. The previous day, St Helier on the island of Jersey reached 30.8C (87.4F) - leaving today's high of 30C in third place.

The UK pipped Madrid at 26C (78.8F) as well as Ibiza and Majorca which were both reading 27C (80.6F) at 3pm.

"It's very unusual. Normally this time of year we see temperatures in the high teens, perhaps just knocking on the door of 20C," Miss Vince said.

People in Scotland and Northern Ireland would have been "wondering what all the fuss is about" as they endured rain and temperatures that were struggling to get into the mid-teens, she said.

Miss Vince said the heatwave was expected to last until next Tuesday or Wednesday in the south east corner of the UK, then drop to a fresher 18-20C.

Other parts of the UK could expect typical autumnal weather with more rain in coming days, but "nothing particularly stormy or horrendous", she added.

"We'll see temperatures at least around average through the end of the week."

Traffic was heavy across England as sunseekers packed their buckets and spades and headed towards holiday hot-spots.

Trafficlink communications manager Andrea Day said roads in the north were very busy, particularly the A64 between Yorkshire and Scarborough and the M55 heading towards Blackpool.

"Normally we would see this kind of traffic on a bank holiday weekend or a sunny weekend during the summer, so to see it at this time of year is really quite unusual," she said.

One of the longest queues was heading towards the seaside resort of Southend, Essex, with vehicles stretching for 15 miles.

Miss Day warned motorists to check traffic reports before heading out on the road. Sunday afternoon between 3pm and 8pm is likely to be particularly busy as weekend trippers make their way home.

Sunbathers packed the beaches in Brighton, which has seen a massive rise in visitor numbers this week.

Officials reported a 30% increase in people clicking on to the city's official tourist website, visitbrighton, and calls to the Brighton visitor information centre rose by more than 50%.

Tourism councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost in visitors was a "welcome fillip" at the end of the summer season and helps support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton.

He said: "Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it's no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it."

The warm weather was also helping events such as Brighton Oktoberfest as part of the five week-long Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival.

The event's managing director Nick Mosley said: "It was a sell-out last night and will be again tonight. The good weather always helps."

He added: "Brighton beach is absolutely packed and The Lanes are thronged with people. We'll be on hand to help quench any thirst with great Sussex beers and a host of interesting continental lagers."

Meanwhile, confused plants are flowering again due to the unseasonably warm weather, according to experts.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said strawberries and rhododendrons were among the plants seen blooming at its flagship garden in Surrey when they were not expected to flower again until next spring.