if you decided to stay in britain for the school holidays rather than jetting off abroad, you may have made a wise decision because the glorious spring weather is set to stretch out for the rest of the week   and the weather will be warmer here than in many mediterranean sun spots the mercury is set to rise steadily until friday, when southern parts of england are forecast to hit 21c (70f) or higher   which would be the hottest this year so far scroll down for video  nice day for it: adults and children cross stepping stones into the water garden at cliveden house in maidenhead, berkshire, yesterday  lying back: a young man enjoys the sun in st james's park in central london as people in the capital make the most of the warm weather  enjoying the sun: holidaymakers head to the beach of mablethorpe in lincolnshire as temperatures stay high after the bank holiday weekend  sunny sight: visitors walk through a corridor of flowers yesterday as they enjoy the warm weather at cliveden house in maidenhead  it's a beautiful day: the palm house at kew gardens in south west london pictured yesterday as the warm weather continues across the uk  say cheese: tourists from mexico take a family selfie photograph in front of big ben using a selfie stick yesterday  that would put many holiday resorts in the shade   with rome expected to peak at 16c (61f), athens at 16c (61f) and marseille at 18c (65f) dan williams, spokesman for the met office, said: ‘we are looking at high temperatures for most days until the weekend’ clear skies, lengthening days and a warm mass of air from southern europe will coincide to create some glorious weather as the sun shines through it comes after the washout weather of last week gave way to a spectacular easter weekend temperatures hit 207c (69f) in aboyne, aberdeenshire on sunday and 195c (67f) in astwood bank, worcestershire on monday england, wales, scotland and northern ireland each recorded their warmest days of the year a week of sunshine: forecasters say a band of high pressure will keep conditions settled until late on friday, when april showers could return  al fresco dining: people eat their lunch next to a fountain near paddington train station in central london yesterday  on the run: children at kew gardens in south west london, next to a field of glory of the snow flowers as the warm weather continues  day visit: josie, masie and alfie luff (from left to right) walk through a glade of magnolia trees at kew gardens in london  afternoon treat: three women take off their coats as they enjoy ice creams in the sunshine in salisbury yesterday  beautiful: commuters at putney, south west london, enjoyed this stunning sunset this evening after a lovely spring day in the capital  those records could all be broken again by the end of the week mr williams said: ‘we might see 20c (68f) here and there, with the hottest spots moving around depending on which areas get the most sunshine ‘friday is looking like the warmest day of the week   we may well see 21c (70f) or higher in london ‘that would make it equal to or above the hottest day of the year so far’ the weekend is set to be slightly cooler, with a cool front arriving from the west sinister shape: this shark off porthcurno in cornwall yesterday morning was among the first basking sharks to be spotted off britain this year  perspectives: a girl has her photograph taken in st james's park yesterday as parts of britain basked in sunshine  relaxing: a woman reads outside a colourful beach hut in exmouth, devon, on one of the hottest days of the year so far  on the water: a man kite surfs in exmouth, devon, as forecasters said britain could be hotter than mallorca yesterday  games in the park: three children giggle with delight as they chase after huge bubbles being blown in kensington gardens, london  but there will still be plenty of clear skies on saturda before the weather breaks on sunday afternoon ‘the fresh weather will knock temperatures about 5c (9f),’ mr williams said ‘there will still be some good weather around but it will definitely be cooler and breezier over the weekend with some rain ‘that will make way for more unsettled weather into next week’ but it is likely to stay well above the average english april temperature of 124c (54f) for some time yet great outdoors: a crowd of city workers enjoy their lunch break in the warm spring sunshine, close to city hall and tower bridge in london  on four wheels: two people skate along the seafront in  exmouth, devon, on one of the hottest days of the year so far  child's play: a girl poses for a snapshot amongst daffodils on a sunny day in green park, central london  sandcastles and spades: two people lie on the beach in exmouth yesterday after the bank holiday weekend saw the hottest day of the year  on the steps: a large crowd of city workers enjoy their lunch break in the warm spring sunshine, on the south bank of the river thames  safety charities have warned people not to be tempted to swim in reservoirs or from unmonitored beaches during the warm weather some 400 people drown in the uk each year, the equivalent of one every 20 hours in times of good weather drownings peak, charities said mike dunn of the royal life saving society said: ‘with the predicted nice weather we want people to go out and enjoy the water safely and we advise people to swim at open water sites where there are lifeguards to help keep swimmers safe afternoon nap: a couple make the most of the warm spring weather by lounging on a pair of deck chairs in st james' park, london  taking a look: two women admire the fountain of love as they enjoy the sunshine at cliveden house and grounds in berkshire  on the grass: a sunbather enjoys the sunshine at cliveden house and grounds in berkshire yesterday  day at the beach: sun seekers flock to brighton beach to fly kites and lounge by the sea as other take a stroll along brighton pier  in ireland: people enjoy the warm weather as they mingle with fallow deer at phoenix park in dublin  ‘make the most of the weather but listen to advice and do so responsibly, don’t let a weekend of fun become a tragedy’ two men were rescued from the seas off essex on monday after taking to the sea in a rowing boat made of scrap plywood, insulation boards and wire coat hangers the stunt went wrong after their oars broke and the men, both in their 20s, were forced to call lifeguards as they drifted 700 feet off the jaywick coast sally webb, a forecaster at meteogroup, said reports of possible thunderstorms due to incoming warm air from the continent   a phenomenon known as the spanish plume   were premature among the deer: a man takes a photograph as people enjoy the warm weather at phoenix park, dublin  by the river: tourists and office workers dine al fresco as they enjoy lunch overlooking tower bridge and the river thames  good morning: the sun rose yesterday in farsley, west yorkshire   with temperatures likely to remain above average until the weekend  sunrise in bristol yesterday: drivers are warned fog patches could form overnight and may linger into the early mornings  morning has broken: sunrise on the river thames (left) and mist shrouding blackpool tower in lancashire yesterday morning (right) what a sight: bird ringer wendy james took this photograph of mwnt above the fog in cardigan bay on the west wales coast yesterday  misty start: the ship arco avon heads into the fog on the river thames yesterday, with temperatures 9c higher than normal for the month  sunrise in london yesterday: forecasters at meteogroup say a band of high pressure will keep conditions settled until late on friday  i'm on a boat: tim lowe took this photograph during his morning commute on board a wightlink ferry from the isle of wight to mainland britain  cheeky stroll: a dog walker in cornwall made the very most of the balmy temperatures at pedn vounder beach yesterday 
sunny athens mallorca south east marseille 18c south wales rome month   and friday later this week spanish plume this week south west mercury spain
high temperatures forecast for this week thanks to spanish plume   before familiar showers could return  sunny spells for south west and south wales as temperatures could hit 21c in south east later this week  9c higher than normal for month   and a few degrees warmer than current temperatures in mallorca, spain  mercury set to rise steadily until friday   and rome is expected to hit 16c, athens 16c and marseille 18c 