Britain sizzles in record-breaking October temperatures

Sunseekers head for the beach as temperatures reach 30C following warmest end to September for more than 100 years Most of Britain basked in glorious heat on Saturday as the mercury hit an all-time October high in several parts of the country, prompting sunseekers to head en masse for the coast. During the afternoon, the reported temperature at RAF Finningley, Yorkshire, reached 30C (86F), beating the previous record of 29.4C set on 1 October 1985, in March, Cambridgeshire. But it was not just the south that sweltered as the thermometers rose. A Met Office forecaster said that Wales also had a new national record with a temperature of 28.2C in Hawarden, Flintshire, beating the 26.4C set on 1 October 1985 in Ruthin, Denbighshire. Only Scotland and Northern Ireland missed out on the sunshine, enduring a day of relentless rain. The unseasonal weather saw people flock to the coast and the countryside in their millions. Travel information firm Trafficlink estimated there was up to 50% more traffic on the most popular summer routes, while train companies said they had carried up to 25% more passengers as people rushed to beaches and beauty spots. The weather provided a fillip for the tourist industry after a disappointing summer. The website Hotels.com said it experienced a 983% rise in searches involving top British seaside destinations, including Bournemouth and Weston-super-Mare. The most popular resort was Broadstairs in Kent, with a 275% increase in hotel searches. Other popular searches included Salcombe in Devon, Skegness in Lincolnshire, Southend in Essex and Portsmouth in Hampshire, while the Brighton Oktoberfest was a sellout. “The good weather always helps,”

Posted by on October 1, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.