UK weather: Heatwave set to return to Britain after spell of showers

Temperatures could soar to high 20s once more after band of heavy rain sweeps across country

Heatwave conditions could return to parts of Britain next week after a spell of fresher weather, which will see many areas drenched by rain.

Temperatures in the south east of England could rise into the high 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, the Met Office predicts.

But before then, the country will be hit by a band of cooler weather, which will bring heavy rain and even thunderstorms to some parts of Britain.

“Certainly this week we won’t see the sort of temperatures we have been experiencing so far this summer,” Met Office meteorologist Bonnie Diamond told The Independent.

“But the north-west, south-east split in the weather will continue and next week there is the potential for some very high temperatures to start developing again in the south-east.

“We are talking about temperatures in the high 20s that are a possibility for Tuesday and Wednesday next week.”

A week of changeable weather is expected to provide cooler temperatures for most on Wednesday, before a series of heavy showers arrive either later in the evening or early on Thursday morning.

The band of rain will stretch across the country from the northeast to the south-west, bringing short but heavy downpours the length of England.

The south-east however is likely to remain dry until later in the morning, but when rain does arrive it could cause difficult driving conditions.

On Friday, temperatures will stay around close to August averages, with England, Wales and eastern Scotland set to stay dry. Western Scotland and Northern Ireland meanwhile could see showers.

Warmer weather could does however have the potential to return next week, with “warm or very warm” temperatures possible in the south east of England on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Met Office said.

Many parts of Britain enjoyed a long heatwave this summer, with temperatures upwards of 30C regularly recorded.

Some areas in south-east of England did not see rainfall for more than a month, while in late July, the mercury crept close to the national record of 38.5C recorded in Faversham, Kent in 2003.

This week, archaeologists revealed blistering heat and lack of rain had revealed the remains of Neolithic monuments and Iron Age settlements under scorched grass at several sites in the UK.

Two new Neolithic “cursus” monuments were discovered near Clifton Reynes in Milton Keynes, while a prehistoric settlement at Lansallos in Cornwall was also unearthed.