Brits bask on warmest day of the year so far... and it's getting hotter

SUN-SOAKED Brits basked today on the hottest day of the year so far.

Most of the UK enjoyed temperatures in the high 20s, but East Anglia and the South East had the hottest day with the mercury reaching 31.7C (89.06F) in Cavendish, Suffolk.

This eclipsed the previous high of 31.4C (88.5F) recorded at London’s Olympic Park on July 25.

Pddle do nicely ... Cambridge students punt along River Cam

Andrew Styczynski/ The Sun

Tourism bosses at seaside resorts including Brighton, Bournemouth and Blackpool said it promised to be their busiest weekend of the year to date.

Catch the sun ... beauty throws frisbee in Hyde Park

Thomas Campean/LNP

The Premier League football season started with a sizzle as players dashed to touchlines for regular drinks breaks.

Hyde and sun seek ... fun in the boating lake at Hyde Park

Thomas Campean/LNP

While 150,000 music fans sweltered at the V Festival in Chelmsford, Essex, and Weston Park, Staffordshire.

V V hot ... festival-goers dressed for sizzling weather in Chelmsford

GEOFF ROBINSON

Supermarkets enjoyed a sales boom with Tesco expected to generate weekend sales of 5.2million ice lollies and 500,000 tubs of ice cream.

BBQs were also set to net the supermarket giant sales of 650,000 burgers, 350,000 sausages and 250,000 bags of charcoal.

Hot in the city ... tourists cool off in London's Trafalgar Square

The glorious weather is set to get even hotter tomorrow with temperatures rising to 33C.

It will be the hottest August day since 2003's record of 38.5C.

Forecasters said the heatwave is due to an influx of air from Spain and North Africa known as a 'Spanish plume'.

Fun in the sun ... Lucy Ann Grayson, 6, has fun on Hartlepool beach

North News & Pictures