UK weather: Britain set to be hotter than Ibiza as temperatures soar to 21C

Parts of the UK will be warmer than popular tourist destinations such as Ibiza and Crete

Rowers on the River Thames near Maidenhead, Berkshire, last week (PA)

Britain could be hotter than Ibiza this week as forecasters predict temperatures will hit 21C.

The mercury is expected to steadily rise in the next few days, culminating in the warmest day of the week on Thursday.

Tourist hotspots such as Ibiza, Crete and Saint-Tropez will be milder than the UK, with most of the country seeing temperatures in the low 20s.

Despite the heat temperatures are unlikely to surpass the 23.4C recorded at St James’s Park in London last month, which was the hottest day of the year so far.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “This week is a funny old one, there’s a fair bit of rain and cloud around as well as sunny spells, with many areas gradually warming up until Thursday which should be the warmest day,

“Between Monday and Wednesday temperatures will sit in the high teens and low 20s in Wales and central and southern parts of the England, while eastern Scotland could reach 19C (66.2F).

“But in parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland there will be cloud and some scattered showers.

“Thursday will see high teens quite widely across the country, parts of the southeast will rise as high as 21C, with an outside chance of 22C in areas where there is more sunshine.

“So there’s a warm spell in store for many but don’t expect the wall-to-wall sunshine and blue skies we saw in April.”

The Met Office has said there is an area of high pressure to the south of the UK, while there is low pressure above northern areas.

Many areas will then become cooler from Friday and during the weekend, forecasters predict.

Additional reporting by PA