UK's hottest September day in 105 years sets 2016 record

South-east England is enjoying Britain’s hottest day of the year, as a late summer heatwave raised temperatures to more than 34C.

Glorious afternoon sunshine pushed the mercury to 34.4C (93.9F) in Gravesend, Kent, at 2.18pm, the Met Office said. It is the highest September temperature in Britain in more than 100 years, and beats the previous 2016 high of 33.8C (92.8F) set in the village of Cavendish, Suffolk, on 24 August.

It is the first time since 1991 that a day in September has been the hottest of the year.

The last time a higher temperature was recorded in the UK in September was in 1911, when Raunds, in Northamptonshire, reached 34.6C. The highest September temperature ever recorded was 35.6C in Bawtry, South Yorkshire, in 1906