We're having a heatwave! Temperatures to hit 30s next week

Visitors to Scarborough's South Bay enjoy the sunshine

Forecasters have predicted that Britain will bask in warm weather for several days, as hot air from the south pushes the temperatures above average for August – possibly topping the record for the year so far.

However, heavy thunderstorms are expected to bring an end to the hot spell on Wednesday next week.

Temperatures reached 33.5C last month at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, and the Met Office expects temperatures in the low 30s near London on Monday and Tuesday.

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: “Temperatures are likely to climb. At the moment they are a little bit below average for the time of year because of the north-western flows.

“As we go through the week it will come more from the south-west, by the end of the week, and then towards the beginning part of next week we will then be drawing air from the south, and so on Monday and Tuesday we are quite likely to see temperatures getting into the low 30s.”

He said that a “good chunk” of the country would enjoy the hot conditions, but that it was a “bit early” to call it a heatwave.

Northern England is likely to see temperatures in the high 20s, although the hottest conditions are expected to be further south around London.

Bookmakers Coral is odds-on at 1/4 that temperatures will reach 30C or higher before the end of this week. The firm is offering 2/1 odds that the record high temperature of 38.5C will be broken in the UK this summer.

John Hill, a spokesman for Coral, said: “If the forecasts are correct, we have a two-week heatwave to look forward to this month which has promoted a gamble on this August being the hottest ever and for the record high temperature to be broken in the UK this summer.”