Britain basks in the warmest day of the year so far

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/15/britain-basks-in-the-warmest-day-of-the-year-so-far

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The weather has lived up to expectations, with Britain basking in the warmest day of the year so far as predicted – and forecasters say it will get hotter yet.

The 23.2C (74F) recorded at Gravesend, Kent, surpassed 2015’s previous peak of 22.8C recorded on Tuesday.

Later, the Met Office said the temperature at Gravesend was beaten by a recording of 23.6C made in St James’s Park, London, at 12.50pm.

Forecasts suggest highs of close to 26C (79F) are possible and Met Office spokesman Dan Williams said he would be amazed if higher temperatures were not recorded during the afternoon.

Several other areas are enjoying summery conditions, with the mercury hitting the low 20s across the southern half of the country. It means parts of Britain are hotter than Athens (19C), Istanbul (14C) and Rome (17C).

But not everyone was enjoying warm weather, with temperatures struggling to surpass 11C in Scotland and around 14C in north-east England.

The sizzling conditions are not expected to develop into a heatwave but a “settled” picture is likely to continue into next week. Williams said: “It will be slightly cooler, with temperatures not quite as high, but it will be mainly dry and fine for the foreseeable future.”

He said it was currently very warm for the time of the year but the conditions were “notunprecedented.

On Tuesday police smashed the windows of a car with a baby locked inside. Scotland Yard said officers were called at around 12.35 to Surbiton, south-west London, following reports that a driver had accidentally locked her keys in her car with her child inside.

A spokeswoman said: “The decision was taken to force entry to the vehicle. The child did not require any medical treatment.”