Friday has been the hottest day of the year so far, with a temperature of 31.9C recorded at St James’s Park in central London.

The previous record high for 2024 was 30.5C in Wisley, Surrey, on June 26.

The Met Office said it is likely to remain very warm overnight.

But things will begin to cool down over the weekend and there could be thunderstorms overnight into Saturday.

Man lies on his front in sun with T-shirt over his head for shade
A sunbather used his T-shirt to protect his head during high temperatures in London (Lucy North/PA)

Saturday’s highest temperature will be 28 or 29C, with the warmest spells likely to be seen in the east and south-east of England.

On Sunday the weather will have a cooler, fresher feel to it, but it will still be warm and mostly dry.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “A lot of people will probably heading off to the beach this weekend, or perhaps going to outdoor festivals, or perhaps they’re going walking in the national parks.

“There is going to be a mixture of weather on offer this weekend so I think the main takeaway is that Sunday is going to be the drier of the two days this weekend, and more comfortable for being outdoors for any length of time.”

However, he added that the weather is not expected to stay as warm, adding: “If you do really like the hot, sunny weather, then I would certainly make the most of today. We are going to see quite a change through this weekend.

“Tomorrow (Saturday) we will see a breakdown in the weather, so we are going to see a change with heavy rain in the west.

“For South East England, we could see a few thunderstorms, but I think they’re probably going to be fairly isolated.

“We will see a change, though, on Saturday night, with rain sweeping eastwards and then fresher conditions for Sunday.”

Next week will be cooler, the Met Office has said, with some dry periods in the south and temperatures in the low to mid 20s.

There will also be a few showers, mostly in the north-west of the UK, including Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Shona Jones, 52, the owner of LJ’s ice cream shop in the Scottish coastal town of Elie, a popular UK holiday destination, said hot weather brings “a significant increase in custom”.

She said: “It is noticeably busier when it gets warm… we’re run off our feet and people are queuing out the door and onto the street, but they’re queuing outside in the sunshine. At busy times I have five servers.”

She added: “Hot weather and sunshine bring day trippers to this part of the world. People will come for the day to the beaches and when they come to the beach they definitely buy an ice cream.

“My granny used to use the Scottish phrase ‘a shivery bite’ so when you’ve been in the water, you want something sweet and you can come up to see me and get an ice cream or hot waffle.”