Hottest day boosts seaside trade but clouds gather over Yorkshire

The highest temperature of the year so far was 29.7C in Charlwood, Surrey, while many parts of the region were also bathed in sunshine with beaches along the Yorkshire Coast filled with daytrippers.

However the Met Office has warned of an increasing North- South divide in the coming days, with thick cloud moving in to cover Yorkshire, and yet more rain by the weekend.

Forecaster Helen Roberts told the Yorkshire Post yesterday: “There is a weather front to the north of Yorkshire that is going to move southwards over the next 24 hours.

“Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be much cloudier with only a slim chance of brighter spells.

“Going into the weekend it is going to be a bit different with sunny spells and showers.”

Anyone thinking of heading to the beach at Mappleton, near Hornsea, today, is being advised to stay away from cliffs near the former RAF Cowden bombing range.

The RAF is due to carry out a number of controlled explosions on the beach following the discovery of hundreds of missiles on Saturday that were suddenly exposed by coastal erosion.

The bombs, many dating back to the Second World War, were found on the beach by a dog walker following a landslide on the crumbling cliffs.

Meanwhile, the brighter weather has prompted York Council to announce that a flotilla of hundreds of boats, which was part of celebrations marking 800 years since the city was granted a Royal Charter but was postponed on July 8 owing to the heavy rains, will now take place on August 26 along the River Ouse.