Stand by for summer

Bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s Fahrenheit will bring a spell of summer weather this week - after one of the wettest starts to May.

It will turn dry and sunny, with the south and west of the country getting the best of it.

Met Office forecaster Nigel Bolton said: 'The rain is forecast to stop in most places within the next day or two, and then temperatures will rise towards 72f (22c) by Friday.

'Hopefully it will last through next weekend too.'

Andrew Bond of independent weather experts metcheck.com added: 'It won't quite be bikini weather, but we can finally take off the jumpers and leave the umbrella at home.'

However, another cold, wet spell is likely after next week.

Alarming numbers of parents still like to see their children with a tan, according to a survey.

Some 41 per cent said they were keen for their youngsters to look brown, believing it makes them appear more healthy. And one in three admitted that their child has been the victim of sunburn, even though just over three- quarters know it is 'never OK for a child to go red in the sun'.

Cancer Research UK, which commissioned the survey with Boots the chemists, is starting a campaign to keep youngsters safe outdoors-amid soaring cases of the most deadly form of the disease.

Dr Catherine Harwood, consultant dermatologist at the charity, said: 'Children spend far more time in the sun than adults, so it is vital parents are aware of the dangers .'

Some 7,000 Britons a year are diagnosed with malignant melanoma - the deadliest skin cancer.