Temperatures topped 30C (86F) as Britons basked in a weekend heatwave.

The mercury reached a high of 30.3C (86.5F), recorded at Gravesend in Kent at 2pm, making it the hottest day of the year.

London and the south-east of England saw the warmest weather, beating temperatures in a number of Mediterranean resorts.

Sunshine dominated across the UK but a westerly wind kept temperatures down to 19C or 20C in western parts of England and Wales while Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced showers, forecasters said.

Previously, the hottest day of the year was May 24, when the temperature reached 28.8C (84F) at Heathrow Airport and the Olympic Park in east London.

The sweltering conditions prompted bookmakers to cut the odds of a record-breaking summer as thousands flocked to beaches or soaked up the rays with barbecues and parties in the garden to watch England v Germany in the World Cup.

Music fans enjoyed the "hottest ever" Glastonbury festival - ditching their wellies for the first time in years.

Weather forecaster Gareth Harvey, from MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures would now drop slightly with rain predicted for Monday night.

He said: "It looks as though it's going to stay very warm into next week, especially across the south-eastern quarter of the UK. It looks fairly settled across central and southern England but there will be some showers - and possibly torrential rain - coming in during tomorrow night which is going to affect most places into Tuesday."

As Britain saw temperatures hit the 30C mark, Murcia and Malaga in Spain had highs of 25C and 27C respectively.