London weather: Temperatures set to soar in the capital this week

London is set to bask in sunshine as temperatures rise towards the mid-20s this week.

Forecasters said parts of the south-east will see a top temperature of 23C by Thursday - well above the 19C average for this time of year.

Much of the rest of England and Wales could hit a high of 22C, with Scotland enjoying a balmy high of 20C - four degrees above its September average.

Although temperatures over the next ten days are unlikely to rise to the high of 27C experienced last year, it will still be warmer than much of the past summer when temperatures sat at an average of just 13.9C.

Gemma Plumb, a meteorologist at MeteoGroup, said: "There is currently an area of high pressure sat over the UK which is bringing a lot of dry and fine weather across the country.

"This high is expected to drift away to the east towards Scandinavia on Wednesday, bringing up some warmer air from the continent.

"Most of this week will be dry and fine across the UK with spells of sunshine during the days and clear spells overnight."

However those hoping for an Indian Summer may be disappointed as a low pressure system is expected to start to move in from the west over the weekend, bringing the risk of some rain and a settling of temperatures back down to the September average.