Glorious! This early taste of summer will go on and on... Britain will bask in weekend of sizzling sunshine as supermarkets say burgers, sausages and barbecues are flying off the shelves



Just two weeks into spring, and forecasters say we are in for a sunny weekend with temperatures of up to 19C

Sales of burgers are up 121 per cent on this time last year, when heavy snowfall blanketed Britain, shutting airports

Supermarkets also report sizzling sales of sausages, ice cream, soft fruit, Prosecco and garden plants



Warm weather and sunshine is forecast for most of Britain tomorrow and on Sunday, but it will be colder next week

Student forced to abandon his flooded car in Somerset on Christmas Eve finally gets it back - but it's wrecked




The latest spell of warm, spring-like weather will continue throughout the weekend as temperatures are predicted to hit 19C tomorrow well over double the March average of 9C.



Forecasters say the weather on Sunday will continue to be dry and warm for the south-east - with lengthy spells of sunshine.



The pleasant weather in the south will continue well into next week - but north and westerly areas will see cloudy conditions and maybe even rain on Monday and Tuesday.



The spell of warm weather in the south is expected to last until at least the end of the month.



It is in stark contrast to this time last year when winter rolled on until the middle of the month. Blizzards left motorists stranded in 15ft snow drifts in Cumbria, while Belfast was blacked out after a storm hit the city’s power network, and temperatures plummeted to -6C (21F).

York basked in the early 'summer' sunshine as forecasters said temperatures will reach 19C this weekend and the warm weather is set to last to the end of the month

A deer frolics in Richmond Park as warm weather hit the capital. Supermarkets said sales of burgers, sausages and barbecues have soared in recent days

Now pear trees at RHS Wisley in Surrey are in full blossom a month earlier than usual, which experts say is a sign that it could be an excellent year for all fruit.



RHS fruit expert Jim Arbury said: ‘This is one of the earliest I can remember pears coming into blossom and might mean an early fruit harvest all round.’

While the past three months have been remarkably wet, the unseasonably mild temperatures have meant plants and wildlife were ready to wake when the good weather arrived.



The early flowering is a big boost for butterflies and bees at the end of their winter hibernation.

Retailers are also poised to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. Asda said sales of shorts have jumped 300 per cent in the past few days, barbecues are being snapped up and even sales of swimwear have risen 9 per cent.

Supermarkets said sales of burgers were up 121 per cent compared to this time last year, and sausage sales up 38 per cent.

Yesterday the RSPCA sounded a note of warning about the weather, saying it could be dangerous for pets.



In comments more commonly heard during a summer heatwave, RSPCA chief vet James Yeates said: ‘A hot car can be a death trap for dogs, it is as simple as that.

‘Sadly, too many people still don’t appreciate how dangerous it can be to leave a dog in a hot car, conservatory or caravan.’

The sun rose over a perfectly still Lake Vyrnwy, in Powys, Wales, this morning, reflecting the stunning landscape as Britain enjoyed unseasonably warm weather The capital of beauty: A photograph taken on the Lambeth side of Westminster bridge show the sunset over the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London London love: A couple kiss by the Thames as the sun is setting behind the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, central London Met Office spokesman Laura Young said: ‘It is going to be warm and dry for most of the country, apart from parts of Scotland. ‘We could see up to 17C or 18C (63-65F) on Saturday, and Sunday will be the best day of the week – very sunny, particularly in the South.

‘We could possibly see 19C (66F) in and around London on Sunday. ‘The good spell of weather should last until Wednesday, when it breaks, but the high pressure system will build up again and it looks like next weekend could be nice again. ‘Early indications are that it is looking fairly stable for the rest of March and we should have plenty of warm days.’ Meanwhile, the unusually warm conditions has meant that ripe English strawberries are in stock a week earlier than they were a year ago, prompting soft fruit sales at Waitrose to rise by 12 per cent. Garden plants sales are also up, and gardeners will have plenty of time to bed their new plants in as long sunny spells are forecast for most of Britain tomorrow and Sunday, and the weather is not expected to break until Tuesday.

Sunshine and daffodils: The sun shone on the East Cornwall Hunt yesterday as horses and hounds met at Pentille Castle, St Mellion, for the first time in more than 100 years

Ancient tradition: Horses and riders enjoyed brilliant spring sunshine in Cornwall yesterday as they met at Pentillie Castle near St Mellion Stunning landscape: The rising sun showed off Lake Vyrnwy in Powys to perfection this morning, and more warm days are forecast Forecast: Britain will continue to enjoy today's long sunny spells into the weekend, with rain showers in north west Scotland and just a little cloud cover on Sunday The warm weather has brought out the spring bulbs: horticulturist Louise Hay enjoys some of the fruits of the 25,000 bulbs planted last December at the Eden Project in Cornwall Student Valerie Spell made the most of the weather as she lay down in a bed of daffodils in Egham, Surrey, today - the sun is forecast to shine all weekend

A Met Office spokesman said the warm conditions - the south of England is forecast to be hotter than Cairo and Algiers this weekend - were a far cry from last March when the average temperature for the month was just 5.1C.

Forecaster Nicola Maxey said: 'We are looking at temperatures in the mid to high teens, reaching 19C on the south coast tomorrow, with just showers of rain in the north west of Scotland.'

Sunday will be dry and sunny, although a little cloudier than Saturday, and temperatures should stay relatively high until early next week, when they will drop back to 10C or 11C.

A Waitrose spokesman said: 'This weekend’s mild temperatures are reflected in our sales figures, with burgers up 121 per cent, sausage sales also up 38 per cent, and a 700 per cent increase on our sales of garden plants compared to this time last year.'

Managers at Tesco said they were expecting a rush on sausages, ice cream and berries, while at Marks and Spencer they said ice cream sales had already doubled on this time last week.

Ultimate selfie: Tourists take a photo as the sun sets behind the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, central London

Love is in the air: A couple walk alongside the river Thames as Friday's sunshine comes to a close

Britain's blooming: In York, temperatures rose to 17C as a chihuahua had to leap over crocuses nearly as tall as her in the museum gardens this morning Stunning sunrise: As dawn broke over Lake Vyrnway, Powys, this morning, the flat surface of the water reflected the glow of the rising sun

Stunning start to the day: As dawn broke over Lake Vyrnwy, a Victorian reservoir in Montgomeryshire, the light produced beautiful reflections on the surface of the water Beautiful weekend: Most of Britain is set to enjoy unseasonably high temperatures this weekend, resulting in a rush on burgers and sausages, say supermarkets The warm weather smiled on the East Cornwall Hunt as it met at Pentille Castle - the hunt was founded at the castle, near St Mellion, now owned by Ted Coryton, in 1873 There was a good turn out for the East Cornwall Hunt's meet at Pentillie Castle, a 19th century estate overlooking the Tamar Valley in Cornwall Many people left their winter coats behind for the first time this year as the sun bathed much of the country in its warmth today - hunt followers in Cornwall were just in shirtsleeves Smile! A couple of huntswomen take a selfie as they enjoy the sunshine at Pentille Castle in St Mellion yesterday - their mounts looked less than impressed, however History: The Victorian hunting horn that once belonged to the hunt's founder, William Coryton, was blown by current master and huntsman, Graham Higgins Feels like summer: Two friends relaxed in the sunshine on the banks of the Thames in Windsor today, watched by a swan

An early morning mist at Lake Vyrnwy, Powys, in Wales cast a reflection of the landscape onto the water's surface, and the sun soon burnt off the mist In London's St James's Park, a young woman relaxes amongst the daffodils as she enjoys the sunshine - particularly welcome after one of the wettest winters on record Students Georgina Thomas and Valerie Spell enjoyed the feeling on the sun on their skin as they sat among the spring flowers in Egham, Surrey, today Early start: The sun rose above the mist-filled Wayfarer's Way near Hannington transmission mast on the North Wessex Downs this morning

M&S buyer Mark Connell said: 'Figures are up an impressive 50 per cent this week already on ice cream, due to the warm weather, and we're expecting sales of rose wine to double this weekend.'

Meanwhile, the improving weather conditions meant that the owner of a car which was submerged during the floods has been reunited with it after two and a half months.



Hubert Zajaczkowski, 21, abandoned his Seat Toledo near Muchelney, Somerset, on Christmas Eve when water levels rose knee-deep, and he had to escape by climbing out through the window and onto the back of a passing Land Rover.



Over the next few weeks the water levels continued to rise until all but a small patch of the car's roof was visible, a patch that was seen by Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles as they toured the flood-stricken area by boat.

Hubert Zajaczkowski had to abandon his Seat Toledo on Christmas Eve as water levels rose - now the floods have gone down, he has been able to recover the ruined car

The car, which was stuck in a flood in Muchelney, Somerset, became a symbol of the devastation suffered in the west country by this winter's floods Mr Zajaczkowski, 21, said he found an inch of mud teeming with maggots, worms and leeches when he was finally able to get back into his flooded car after 11 weeks

Now the water has subsided and Hubert, from Shepton Mallet, was finally reunited with the Seat he bought two years ago for £600.

He said: 'It was there for 11 weeks in the end, but this week we managed to get to it and put it on a truck to be taken away - there is nothing worth saving and it is going to be scrapped.

