Hot weather will continue as lockdown restrictions are eased
Met Office forecasters said high temperatures will give way to cooler air, winds and some showers by the middle of the week.
The weekend’s sunny weather, which saw crowds of people flock to beaches and beauty spots across England ahead of lockdown restrictions being eased on Monday, will continue into the beginning of next week, forecasters said.
As revellers enjoyed temperatures of up to 28C (82.4F) in some parts of the UK, emergency services attended incidents involving water, fires and littering, despite warnings being issued to the public.
And the hot weather will remain until the middle of the week, when temperatures will become cooler across the UK.
But the unseasonably warm period will give way to more changeable weather just days after the relaxation of lockdown measures, allowing socially distanced groups of up to six people to meet outside, on Monday.
Mr Petagna said: “The sunny weather will certainly continue for a couple more days but from Tuesday we are starting to see some more unsettled weather across Scotland and the gradual trend will be turning cooler across the UK from Wednesday onwards.”
People across England took advantage of the hot weather over the weekend to visit beaches and beauty spots, despite some authorities urging the public to stay away.
Nancy Platts, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, asked people not to visit the area on Sunday and called on the Government for more powers to implement a local lockdown.
On Saturday, crowds of people had to be evacuated from the beach and surrounding cliffs at Durdle Door, in Dorset, when three tombstoners were injured after jumping from a 200ft sea arch.
And scores of people defied attempts to close the beach on Sunday, with people being encouraged by crowds to jump from the same arch.
Authorities across the country urged people to stay away from open water, avoid lighting barbecues or fires and take litter home, as they reported having to fight fires and clear up rubbish left behind by visitors.
More than 100 firefighters in the North West battled to contain separate blazes as a result of the hot weather, with one moorland fire, covering 5km of land in Darwen, thought to have been started by a disposable barbecue.
A tweet by North York Moors National Park on Sunday said: “There are no poo pixies or litter fairies here.
“Our rangers spent this morning at a beauty spot collecting 20 bags of rubbish, including nappies, socks, shoes, towels, chairs, gas canisters, BBQs, beer bottles, food and broken glass.
“Please do your bit and take your litter home.”
Rochdale Council tweeted that local beauty spots had “taken a hammering” from visitors and West Midlands Fire Service reported that firefighters spent the morning clearing up litter at Cannon Hill Park.
