Hot spell is due to cool off

London and the South-East are forecast to be bathed in more warm sunshine today with temperatures set to soar to the highest this year.

Temperatures in the capital will hit 27C (81F) today thanks to a heatwave blown in from the Sahara. However, the hot spell will come to an end by tomorrow.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: "We are expecting there to be some thundery showers coming from the South-West. The first of these is going to be close to the London area by early evening. We could have some thunderstorms overnight.

"Saturday and Sunday are going to be cooler than the last few days but with a reasonable amount of dry and clear weather. Saturday will start wet and we are expecting further rain on Sunday night but in between that it should be mainly dry and bright."

Temperatures over the weekend are forecast to be about 19-20C.

? More than 622 people have died in a heatwave in southern India during the past week. Temperatures have been 49C (120F) along the coastal belt on the Bay of Bengal but have fallen in the last few days.