September was sunniest on record

September was the sunniest on record and the driest since 1997, the Met Office said today.

After what seemed like the longest summer for years, official figures confirm that the sun shone brightly for an average of six hours a day - the best September figure since records began in 1961.

There was also 58 per cent less rain than the seasonal average, with just 33mm falling during the whole month, and warmer temperatures across England and Wales.

The average temperature in England was 14.6C (58.3F), which is 0.9C above the norm. The Met Office also revealed that Britain's hottest recorded day was even hotter than previously thought.

Until today Gravesend in Kent was believed to have notched up the record, with a reading of 38.1C (100.58F) on 10 August.

However, newly-collated figures show the temperature reached
38.5C (101.3F) on the same day in Brogdale, also in Kent. The delay is because its figures are only sent to the Met Office once a month.

This year also enjoyed the warmest January to September period since those records began in 1659. Today, memories of the Indian summer were expected to be washed away with rain and cloud forecast in the South-East.