Air from the Azores has Britons sweltering

Soaring temperatures set records for the year in parts of the country yesterday. It was hot and humid in much of southern England, with temperatures climbing to more than 29C (84F).

London had its hottest day of the year, with temperatures peaking at 29.3C. The hottest place in England was Shepshed in Leicestershire where the temperature reached 30C.

The sticky weather was caused by humid air from the Azores, according to Michael Dukes, at the PA WeatherCentre. He said: "It's brought in lots of moist tropical air so it's warm with high humidity so we drip."

The hot weather was confined to the South, the East Midlands and East Anglia. It was cooler in Scotland, the North-west and Wales, with rain in some places. In Glasgow temperatures peaked at 17C and heavy rain fell during the morning.

Cooler weather is expected at the weekend but temperatures are likely to rise again next week.