SUFFOLK and Essex basked in temperatures higher than holiday hotspots Corfu and Crete today as thermometers reached their highest level since October.

Russell Claydon

SUFFOLK and Essex basked in temperatures higher than holiday hotspots Corfu and Crete today as thermometers reached their highest level since October.

Sunglasses and shorts came out of closets as the region experienced its warmest day of the year, with the hot spell set to last for a further few days.

Summer scenes were experienced all across Suffolk and Essex as people in the two counties soaked up the sunshine, which has run over from the weekend, following the coldest winter for 12 years.

Ipswich-based weatherman Ken Blowers said: “It was the warmest day of the year in Suffolk and Essex with temperatures reaching 16C (61F) - a temperature more typical of early May.

“Suffolk was warmer than Corfu or Crete.

“Three more days of spring like weather are expected but with an increase in cloud tomorrow for a time.

“It will be cooler at the end of the week as a north-easterly air flow takes over.”