ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Britain is hotter and wetter than at any other time in the past 100 years, the latest figures from the Met Office show.

Last year was the fifth warmest for the UK in records dating back more than a century, and nine of the 10 hottest years have been since 2002.

A new Met Office report also shows that, despite this summer's shortage of rain in some areas of the UK, the amount of rainfall has gone up.

Figures show the UK climate is warming, with average temperatures over the last decade around 0.8C above the 1961 to 1990 average, while the country has also seen 8 per cent more rain.

UK Heatwave - In pictures 76 show all UK Heatwave - In pictures 1/76 People on Woolacombe Beach in North Devon PA 2/76 Birds at dawn are seen flying as St Paul's Cathedral and skyscrapers in the City of London REUTERS 3/76 A dog under an umbrella at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire PA 4/76 People relax on kayaks at Nene Park in Peterborough, as the warm weather continues PA 5/76 Girls sunbathe in the hot sunny weather during Bestival at the Lulworth Estate in Dorse PA 6/76 People enjoy the sun at Carsington Water in Derbyshire PA 7/76 People in the sea at Croyde Beach in North Devon PA 8/76 A woman stands in a field of sunflowers at Vine House Farm near Spalding, Lincolnshire, as the hot weather continues PA 9/76 Alex Lentati 10/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 11/76 Alex Lentati 12/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 13/76 People enjoy the sun on the opening day of BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace near Woodstock, Oxfordshire PA 14/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 15/76 Sunbathers at Hyde Parks Serpentine Lido Jeremy Selwyn 16/76 People gather on the beach at Durdle Door in Dorset Getty Images 17/76 Children play in the Diana memorial fountain in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 18/76 Thirsty work in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 19/76 Steaming at the back of Kings Cross station today Jeremy Selwyn 20/76 A boy skips across the beach with his rubber ring during hot weather on Brighton beach. EPA 21/76 Children play next to a fountain in Battersea Park Reuters 22/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Bournemouth beach in Dorset as the hot weather continues across the UK PA 23/76 Early morning swimmers at the Serpentine pool as the heatwave continue Jeremy Selwyn 24/76 Sunbathing by the Diana Memorial in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 25/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Tynemouth beach on North Tyneside PA 26/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Cullercoats beach on North Tyneside PA 27/76 People relax in front of Tower Bridge in London, as the hot weather continues across the country PA 28/76 A stunning sunrise at primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn 29/76 Beachgoers play in the sea on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 30/76 Wild deer graze in Bushy Park as the heatwave continues across the UK SplashNews.com 31/76 Early swimmers in the Serpentine Jeremy Selwyn 32/76 People enjoy the sunshine in Hyde Park in London, as the hot weather continues across the country. PA 33/76 A young man jumps into the water of the harbor in Brixham, southern England AP 34/76 Beachgoers gather on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 35/76 A general view of Greenwich Park in London EPA 36/76 A couple shelter in the shade of a beach hut on West Wittering Beach during hot weather on the first day of the Summer school holidays Getty Images 37/76 A woman poses for a photo among the flowers in St James Park, London, as the hot weather continue PA 38/76 Beachgoers play in the sea on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 39/76 Scorched green spaces surround Windsor Castle Jeremy Selwyn 40/76 Commuters battle the searing heat at London Bridge Jeremy Selwyn 41/76 Flowers bloom in the sunshine at Whitburn windmill, Sunderland PA 42/76 A man enjoys the warm weather on the beach in Whitstable, Kent PA 43/76 People enjoy the warm weather at South Tyneside Festival in Bents Park, South Shields PA 44/76 General view of boats on the river Thames, including the Queen's rowbarge 'Gloriana' as people enjoy the warm weather during the Thames Traditional Boat Festival at Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire PA 45/76 People enjoy the beach in Margate, Kent, as the warm weather continues across the country PA 46/76 Scorcher: People enjoy the beach in Broadstairs, Kent, on Sunday PA 47/76 A woman soaks up the sunshine PA 48/76 People in boats on Hollow Ponds in Leytonstone PA 49/76 People in the paddling pool in Clissold Park, north London PA 50/76 Office workers enjoy the hot sunny weather while taking their lunch breaks in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster PA 51/76 People in the paddling pool in Clissold Park, north London PA 52/76 People enjoy their lunch break in the sun PA 53/76 People swimming and enjoying the sunshine at Brockwell Lido in London Reuters 54/76 Visitors relax on deckchairs in the sunshine on the beach by Brighton Pier Reuters 55/76 A jogger runs in Hyde Park, London PA 56/76 Visitors enjoy the sunshine on the beach by Brighton Pier Reuters 57/76 People relax in the sun during lunchtime as they sit on the steps of The Scoop, a riverside amphitheatre, backdropped by the Tower of London AP 58/76 Young Red Deer cool off in a stream in Richmond Park Getty Images 59/76 A man dives into the water at Warleigh Weir, near Claverton outside Bat PA 60/76 Joggers run beside the Serpentine, in Hyde Park, London PA 61/76 Children cool off in the fountains on the Southbank, London PA 62/76 People relax in the sun at St Paul's Cathedral AP 63/76 Sunbathing on Bournemouth beach in Dorset PA 64/76 Black-capped squirrel monkeys eat iced treats with nuts and berries during the hot weather at London Zoo Reuters 65/76 People sit on the grass enjoying the sunshine in Green Park AFP/Getty Images 66/76 People relax on the beach at Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales PA 67/76 Members of the public enjoy the warm weather by the fountains in Trafalgar square AFP/Getty Images 68/76 People relax in the sunshine on the beach in Brighton. PA 69/76 Police horses drink from a water fountain during the hot weather in Green Park PA 70/76 A woman shelters from the sun as she lays in the sunshine in Green Park in London AFP/Getty Images 71/76 The sun rises over London during a week long heatwave SplashNews.com 72/76 Tourists enjoy the sun whilst they sit on the steps near the Tower of London. PA 73/76 Alex Lentati 74/76 People enjoy their lunch break in the sunshine near Tower Bridge PA 75/76 A man beckons a duck whilst he sits in the sun in Trafalgar Square. PA 76/76 Londoners enjoy the sunshine Alex Lentati 1/76 People on Woolacombe Beach in North Devon PA 2/76 Birds at dawn are seen flying as St Paul's Cathedral and skyscrapers in the City of London REUTERS 3/76 A dog under an umbrella at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire PA 4/76 People relax on kayaks at Nene Park in Peterborough, as the warm weather continues PA 5/76 Girls sunbathe in the hot sunny weather during Bestival at the Lulworth Estate in Dorse PA 6/76 People enjoy the sun at Carsington Water in Derbyshire PA 7/76 People in the sea at Croyde Beach in North Devon PA 8/76 A woman stands in a field of sunflowers at Vine House Farm near Spalding, Lincolnshire, as the hot weather continues PA 9/76 Alex Lentati 10/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 11/76 Alex Lentati 12/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 13/76 People enjoy the sun on the opening day of BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace near Woodstock, Oxfordshire PA 14/76 People enjoy the warm weather on Boscombe beach in Dorset PA 15/76 Sunbathers at Hyde Parks Serpentine Lido Jeremy Selwyn 16/76 People gather on the beach at Durdle Door in Dorset Getty Images 17/76 Children play in the Diana memorial fountain in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 18/76 Thirsty work in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 19/76 Steaming at the back of Kings Cross station today Jeremy Selwyn 20/76 A boy skips across the beach with his rubber ring during hot weather on Brighton beach. EPA 21/76 Children play next to a fountain in Battersea Park Reuters 22/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Bournemouth beach in Dorset as the hot weather continues across the UK PA 23/76 Early morning swimmers at the Serpentine pool as the heatwave continue Jeremy Selwyn 24/76 Sunbathing by the Diana Memorial in Hyde Park Jeremy Selwyn 25/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Tynemouth beach on North Tyneside PA 26/76 People enjoying the heatwave today on Cullercoats beach on North Tyneside PA 27/76 People relax in front of Tower Bridge in London, as the hot weather continues across the country PA 28/76 A stunning sunrise at primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn 29/76 Beachgoers play in the sea on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 30/76 Wild deer graze in Bushy Park as the heatwave continues across the UK SplashNews.com 31/76 Early swimmers in the Serpentine Jeremy Selwyn 32/76 People enjoy the sunshine in Hyde Park in London, as the hot weather continues across the country. PA 33/76 A young man jumps into the water of the harbor in Brixham, southern England AP 34/76 Beachgoers gather on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 35/76 A general view of Greenwich Park in London EPA 36/76 A couple shelter in the shade of a beach hut on West Wittering Beach during hot weather on the first day of the Summer school holidays Getty Images 37/76 A woman poses for a photo among the flowers in St James Park, London, as the hot weather continue PA 38/76 Beachgoers play in the sea on West Wittering Beach Getty Images 39/76 Scorched green spaces surround Windsor Castle Jeremy Selwyn 40/76 Commuters battle the searing heat at London Bridge Jeremy Selwyn 41/76 Flowers bloom in the sunshine at Whitburn windmill, Sunderland PA 42/76 A man enjoys the warm weather on the beach in Whitstable, Kent PA 43/76 People enjoy the warm weather at South Tyneside Festival in Bents Park, South Shields PA 44/76 General view of boats on the river Thames, including the Queen's rowbarge 'Gloriana' as people enjoy the warm weather during the Thames Traditional Boat Festival at Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire PA 45/76 People enjoy the beach in Margate, Kent, as the warm weather continues across the country PA 46/76 Scorcher: People enjoy the beach in Broadstairs, Kent, on Sunday PA 47/76 A woman soaks up the sunshine PA 48/76 People in boats on Hollow Ponds in Leytonstone PA 49/76 People in the paddling pool in Clissold Park, north London PA 50/76 Office workers enjoy the hot sunny weather while taking their lunch breaks in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster PA 51/76 People in the paddling pool in Clissold Park, north London PA 52/76 People enjoy their lunch break in the sun PA 53/76 People swimming and enjoying the sunshine at Brockwell Lido in London Reuters 54/76 Visitors relax on deckchairs in the sunshine on the beach by Brighton Pier Reuters 55/76 A jogger runs in Hyde Park, London PA 56/76 Visitors enjoy the sunshine on the beach by Brighton Pier Reuters 57/76 People relax in the sun during lunchtime as they sit on the steps of The Scoop, a riverside amphitheatre, backdropped by the Tower of London AP 58/76 Young Red Deer cool off in a stream in Richmond Park Getty Images 59/76 A man dives into the water at Warleigh Weir, near Claverton outside Bat PA 60/76 Joggers run beside the Serpentine, in Hyde Park, London PA 61/76 Children cool off in the fountains on the Southbank, London PA 62/76 People relax in the sun at St Paul's Cathedral AP 63/76 Sunbathing on Bournemouth beach in Dorset PA 64/76 Black-capped squirrel monkeys eat iced treats with nuts and berries during the hot weather at London Zoo Reuters 65/76 People sit on the grass enjoying the sunshine in Green Park AFP/Getty Images 66/76 People relax on the beach at Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales PA 67/76 Members of the public enjoy the warm weather by the fountains in Trafalgar square AFP/Getty Images 68/76 People relax in the sunshine on the beach in Brighton. PA 69/76 Police horses drink from a water fountain during the hot weather in Green Park PA 70/76 A woman shelters from the sun as she lays in the sunshine in Green Park in London AFP/Getty Images 71/76 The sun rises over London during a week long heatwave SplashNews.com 72/76 Tourists enjoy the sun whilst they sit on the steps near the Tower of London. PA 73/76 Alex Lentati 74/76 People enjoy their lunch break in the sunshine near Tower Bridge PA 75/76 A man beckons a duck whilst he sits in the sun in Trafalgar Square. PA 76/76 Londoners enjoy the sunshine Alex Lentati

The annual state of the UK climate report also revealed that, in contrast to this summer, UK summers have been notably wetter over the last decade from 2008 to 2017, with 20 per cent more rainfall compared to 1961-1990.

Nine of the 10 hottest years in the UK have happened since 2002 and 2017 was the fifth warmest on record, figures dating back to 1910 show, the Met Office said.

And the Central England Temperature (CET) record which dates back to 1659 for an area of central England reveals the 21st century, since 2001, has so far been warmer than the previous three centuries.

The report also found that average sea levels have risen around 1.4mm a year since the start of the 20th century - equivalent to a rise of about 16cm (6.3 inches) since 1900.

Dr Mark McCarthy, manager of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: "Our climate is changing, globally and here in the UK.

"People may not recall 2017 as having been a particularly warm year, with a relatively wet summer and snow in December.

"Despite this, when looking at the longer term perspective, 2017 was still more than 1C above the 1961-1990 baseline and ranks as the fifth warmest year overall for the UK."

Rainfall in 2017 was around average for the UK, but regional differences saw much of Highland Scotland and lowland England were considerably dry, while west Wales, north-west England and parts of south-west and north-east England were wetter, the Met Office said.

Last year's extremes included a temperature high of 34.5C on June 21 at Heathrow, and a low of minus 13C at Dalwhinnie, Scottish Highlands, on December 11 and Shawbury, Shropshire, on December 12.

The highest daily rainfall was 212.6mm (8.37 inches) in Ennerdale, Cumbria, on Christmas Eve, while the deepest snow recorded was 40cm (15.75 inches) in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Wrexham, on December 11.

And the sunniest spots were Whitby, North Yorkshire, Hastings in East Sussex and Morecambe in Lancashire, which all recorded 16.2 hours of sunshine on June 17 or 18, the reports shows.

Dr Stephen Cornelius, chief adviser for climate change at WWF, said: "Climate change is not just a problem for others - this report shows that it affects us here in the UK.

"We're in the age of consequences - extreme weather such as we've experienced this summer threatens our health, our water supplies and our natural world.

"These extreme events will become normal if we don't heed these warnings and act with urgency. The UK Government needs to work harder to cut our carbon emissions and build a cleaner, greener economy."

A Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department spokesman said: "The UK is a world-leader in cutting emissions and driving investment in low carbon technology. Since 1990, carbon emissions are over 40% lower, while the UK's GDP has increased by more than two-thirds."