Sun lovers have been lapping up the soaring temperatures on the hottest April day for almost 70 years.

In London temperatures rocketed to 28.3C while Hawarden weather station, the nearest to Chester, recorded 20.7 C at midday.

The highest recorded temperature for this month was 29.4C back in 1949.

And the average maximum temperature for the UK in April is 11.9C.

The unseasonably warm weather across the UK is down to low pressure over the Atlantic and high pressure in western Europe which is drawing in warm air.

People enjoying the sunshine in the grounds of Chester Cathedral.

Amateur weather enthusiast Mike Hoddinott normally records the daily stats using equipment at his home in Newton , Chester, but is recovering from a fall.

He said: “I would think it is probably a record. It’s most likely to be there or thereabouts. Where I am I would say it is slightly hotter than 20.7C - perhaps more likely 22 or 23C.

"At this time of year, during the changeover period between spring and summer, you can get the extremes of snow or sunshine. It’s got to be one of the hottest April days we’ve had.”

Thursday’s UK high was recorded at St James’s Park in central London during the afternoon, making it the hottest UK day in April since 1949.

Pollen levels are high throughout much of the UK, according to BBC Weather with the warning it could be ‘uncomfortable’ for hayfever sufferers.