Indian summer brings out the crowds

Sunseekers flocked to beaches, parks and the countryside to enjoy the hottest day ever recorded in Britain in October Sunseekers packed their buckets and spades and finally made use of their summer barbecue kits across most of Britain as temperatures soared to 30C, making it the hottest day ever recorded in October. The sweltering weather prompted unusual scenes as families made the most of the heatwave to soak up the sun – from the seaside in Southend to as far north as Humberside and Bradford. While temperatures usually struggle to rise above the mid-teens this time of year, the Indian summer prompted motorists to flock to the coast and countryside to take advantage of the sizzling heat just four weeks before the clocks go back for winter. Sun worshippers stripped off in parks across the north of England, while scores of children cooled off by playing in fountains and pools. Deckchairs and beach towels covered the seven miles of golden sand in Bournemouth, Dorset, as Britain enjoyed temperatures that surpassed the holiday islands of Ibiza and Mallorca. But not everyone could bask in the sunshine. In parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, people were forced to bring out their umbrellas as they endured a more typical start to the month, with bursts of rain and temperatures more in line with the averages for October. Rachel Vince, senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup, said RAF Finningley in Yorkshire was the hottest spot in the country, recording 30C (86F) at 3pm. The previous October record of 29.4C (85F) was set in March, Cambridgeshire, in 1985. Gravesend in Kent was not far behind – reaching 29.6C (85.3F) at 3pm – while Wales also broke its October record, which had stood since 1985 when Hawarden reached 28.2C (80.6F) shortly after 2pm. “It’s very unusual. Normally this time of year we see temperatures in the high teens, perhaps just knocking on the door of 20C,” said Vince. The freak weather followed the warmest end to September for more than 100 years. Last Friday, temperatures in Cambridge reached 29.2C, beating the previous high for the same day of 27.8C set in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1908. Those on holiday in search of autumn sun overseas could be forgiven a certain disappointment at learning that temperatures at home eclipsed many popular destinations. In Spain, temperatures touched 29C, while in Greece they ranged between 26C and 28C. Travel information firm Trafficlink estimated there was up to 50% more traffic on the most popular summer routes in the UK, with roads in the north proving to be very busy as sunseekers flocked to Yorkshire, Scarborough and Blackpool. One of the longest queues was heading towards Southend, Essex, with vehicles creating a 15-mile queue. Train companies also reported that they had carried up to 25% more passengers and coastal cities received an unusual boost to tourism. The website hotels.com said it experienced a 983% rise in searches involving top British seaside destinations, including Bournemouth and Weston-super-Mare. Sunbathers packed the beaches in Brighton, while officials reported a 30% increase in people visiting the city’s tourist website. Councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost was a “welcome fillip” at the end of the summer season and helps support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton. He said: “Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it’s no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it.” The heat also helped events such as the Brighton Oktoberfest, which was a sellout. “The good weather always helps,” said the event’s director, Nick Mosley. “Brighton beach is packed and the Lanes are thronged with people.” Supermarkets foresaw higher sales of barbecue food, with Tesco predicting it would sell an extra 3.5m sausages over the next three days. It also expects to sell 550,000 burgers, 10

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