Southampton 'Hottest' In UK

Southampton had the highest temperature in the country TWICE this week.

The unseasonably fine and hot weather will continue today and into the weekend, forecasters say.

Sun worshippers flocked to beaches and parks yesterday as they enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching almost 28C (82.4F).

And the warmth will last for several more days, although showers could reach Cornwall by the end of Saturday, according to MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association.

Forecaster Gemma Plumb said today would be ''very warm''.

''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,'' she added.

''Sunday will continue to be dry and sunny although there may be more cloud about.''

Saturday should see temperatures of between 24C and 27C, she said, while Sunday is likely to be between 22 and 25C.

Once again Southampton had the highest temperature of 27.9C (82.2F) yesterday, after also topping the mercury on Wednesday.

The south-coast city was closely followed by Wisley in Surrey, where temperatures reached 27.5C (81.5F), while it was 27.3C (81.1F) in Bishopton, near Glasgow.

Barcelona in Spain lagged behind at 25.3C (77.5F).

MeteoGroup said it was warm across much of the UK, with most places between 24 and 28C.

However coastal areas were cooler, especially in the east where it struggled to get above 18C.

Average maximum temperatures for England in May are 14-17C, while Scotland would normally be 13-15C.

The hot weather in London caused a pane of glass at Portcullis House, the #235 million office block used by hundreds of MPs, to shatter.

A Commons spokeswoman blamed ''heat exhaustion'' for thousands of tiny cracks in the 6ft x 3ft pane in the 11-year-old glass and steel building opposite the Palace of Westminster.

She said:

''One of the nodes supporting the glass expanded in the heat and that pushed the glass.

''It has been covered up and we are ensuring that it is blocked off and everyone is safe.''

Two workmen in hard hats placed cardboard storage boxes under the shattered pane to soften its fall should it plummet to the ground, as security officers set up a 40ft cordon blocking access between the Members' Centre and the Debate cafe.