In Pictures: UK swelters as hot weather continues – for now

The Met Office says temperatures will remain in the mid to high 20s for much of England over the next few days but thunder and hail is also expected.

Horses shelter from the sun under trees on Basingstoke Common in Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Wire)

As warm temperatures were forecast to remain across the UK for the rest of the week, people took advantage of the sunny weather while animals sought out ways to keep cool.

The Met Office has forecast temperatures in the mid to high 20s for much of England over the next few days, with London expected to reach a high of 28C and Manchester likely to see a top temperature of 27C.

People flocked to lakes and waterways to enjoy the warm weather, although it was expected give way to “thundery and unstable” conditions, and even hail, on Thursday and Friday.

The Met Office said that while temperatures will remain hotter than average for this time of year, most regions of the country will drop below the threshold for a heatwave, defined as three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold.