Sun worshippers flocked to Aireville Park in Skipton today as temperatures in the town soared once again.

For the second day running, Skipton was officially the warmest place in Yorkshire, with the mercury reaching 27°C (81°F) - the first time above 80°F this year.

Meanwhile, the high temperatures led to thunderstorms in some areas, with the Met Office warning of possible dangerous driving conditions.

Southampton had the highest temperature of 27.9°C, while it was 27.3°C (81.1°F) in Glasgow.

Craven was hotter than parts of the Med, while Barcelona, in Spain, lagged behind at 25.3°C (77.5°F).

Gemma Plumb, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the unseasonably warm weather would continue into the weekend.

She said: "Friday will be very warm across most of the UK. Most of the UK will be sunny and very warm on Saturday but showers could reach the end of Cornwall by the end of the day. Sunday will continue to be dry and sunny although there may be more cloud about."

Saturday should see temperatures of between 24°C (75.2°F) and 27C (80.6°F), she said, while Sunday is likely to be between 22°C (71.6°F) and 25°C (77°F).