People enjoy the sun at Bournemouth beach as Britain is basking in the warmest day of the year so far as predicted. Image by Steve Parsons/PA Wire

People enjoy the sun at Bournemouth beach as Britain is basking in the warmest day of the year so far. Image by Steve Parsons/PA Wire

Much of Britain has sizzled on the hottest day of the year so far.

The 25C (77F) recorded at St James’s Park in London meant today surpassed 2015’s previous peak of 22.8 (73F) detected yesterday.

It also meant the UK’s hottest parts were balmier than Athens, Rome, Nice and Ibiza.

Sun worshippers enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather, flocking to beaches in Brighton, Bournemouth and Devon, while scores soaked up the rays in London’s parks.

Meanwhile, Devon and Cornwall Police said it had received six calls regarding dogs left in vehicles.

It also emerged that police were forced to smash the windows of a car to free a baby during the hot weather.

Scotland Yard said officers were called at around 12.35pm yesterday to Surbiton, south west London, following reports that a driver had accidentally locked her keys in her car while her child was inside.

A spokeswoman said: “The decision was taken to force entry to the vehicle.

“The child did not require any medical treatment.”

Not everywhere saw summery conditions, with temperatures in Scotland struggling to surpass 11C (52F) and highs of around 14C (57F) in north east England.

The country as a whole is expected to cool from tomorrow but a “settled” picture is likely to continue into next week,

Met Office spokesman Dan 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 “very warm” for the time of year but the conditions were “not unprecedented”.

The highest April temperature on record was 29.4C (85F) on 16 April 1949.

Nevertheless, bookmaker Ladbrokes has cut the odds on this being the hottest April on record.

Spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said: “The weather might be grim up north, but with the thermometer soaring down south we’ve been forced to slash the odds in half that April’s officially a sizzler.”

(Press Association)