Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Swimmers at London's Serpentine Lido took advantage of the mild temperatures for an outdoor dip

It was the mildest December night for several decades in western parts of the UK, weather experts say.

But the record for the warmest December day was narrowly missed by 0.6C at Gravesend, Kent, where the temperature was recorded at 17.1C at 14:00 GMT.

Overnight temperatures fell no lower than 11C in many areas and conditions typically became warmer throughout the night, BBC Weather said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain is forecast for Wales and parts of north-west England.

A Wales-wide "be aware" alert is in force for Saturday and Sunday, with up to 3ins (80mm) of rain in places over 24 hours and flooding possible.

Flood warnings

However, in other parts of the UK temperatures look set to continue to be mild.

From Friday night into Saturday morning mild temperatures were recorded in western Scotland and England and Northern Ireland, BBC Weather said.

The mildest 24-hour period currently on record for December in England was measured at Whitby in North Yorkshire in 1994 - with a low of 13.7C.

Across the UK as a whole the highest 24-hour minimum for a December night happened at Hawarden, Flintshire, in north-east Wales on 12 December also in 1994, when temperatures stayed up at 15C.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Blossom can be seen on some trees in Alexandra Palace park

Meanwhile, In north-west England - where around 5,200 homes suffered flood damage following Storm Desmond earlier this month - more rain is expected to fall onto already saturated ground, the Met Office says.

The Environment Agency has two flood warnings in place - which means a deluge is expected and "immediate action" may be required.

They are at Keswick campsite in Cumbria and at Pontargothi and Pontynyswen in Carmarthenshire, in west Wales.