Britain is set to bask in sweltering temperatures over the Easter weekend, with parts of the country likely to be warmer than the Canary Islands.

The mercury could soar as high as 24C in southeastern England on Saturday, hotter than popular holiday spots such as Tenerife, Agadir and Rhodes.

Although the southeast is expected to receive the warmest of the bank holiday weather, conditions are also expected to hot up in almost every other corner of the country.

Britain can usually experiences heat of around 10 to 13C over the Easter weekend.

But widespread temperatures of around 21C are forecast on Friday and Saturday, while many will see highs of 23C by Easter Sunday.

Britain's finest urban parks Show all 15 1 /15 Britain's finest urban parks Britain's finest urban parks Regents Park, London A park fit (and designed) for a king. Regents Park is home to a flower display rivalled only by that of nearby St James' Park and hosts over 100 species of bird. If you think that isn't quite enough wildlife, there's always London Zoo in the upper west side of the park Getty Britain's finest urban parks Beaumont Park, Huddersfield A park of tremendous variety. A large open space closes on to a pleasant mall that leads from the more well-kept side of the park towards the wild forest area that winds down a cliff face and features some curious Victorian architecture Darren Wright Britain's finest urban parks Holyrood Park, Edinburgh An urban park that is pointedly rural. Here you do not stroll but ramble and in doing so are treated to exciting historical sites and some spectacular views Getty Britain's finest urban parks Platt Fields, Manchester Sitting at the junction of Rusholme, Fallowfield and Moss Side, Platt Fields is the best that inner-city Manchester has to offer. Beside the abundant green space, there are plenty of facilities such as a skate park, BMX track and a boating lake Sharaf Britain's finest urban parks Nunhead Cemetery, London Might not sound like a park but it is perhaps the most pleasant walk to be had among the dead in all of England Kotomi Britain's finest urban parks Wollaton Park, Nottingham A history lover's park. Not only is it home to a well preserved Elizabethan manor: that manor now houses an industrial and natural history museum Getty Britain's finest urban parks Brandon Hill, Bristol Oldest park in Bristol offering great views of the city and harbour to those who brave the steep incline Getty Britain's finest urban parks Brynmill Park, Swansea Plenty to do in this park with a play area, bowling green and the lake. However it is best enjoyed at a stroll Phil John Britain's finest urban parks Saltwell Park, Gateshead Saltwell Park has all the fittings of a great British park: a manor house, a boating lake and trees galore. What sets it apart is that each of these features are the pinnacles of their sort Getty Images Britain's finest urban parks Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow Classic Victorian park with plenty of facilities and some fancy terraces to admire Getty Britain's finest urban parks Hylands Park, Chelmsford Another manor estate opened into a public park. Lots of trees and plenty of open space, so much so that Hylands Park was host to V music festival Andy Sedg Britain's finest urban parks Greenwich Park, London A varied park to walk around, from the rose garden to the observatory to the seldom seen deer in the lower east side. Greenwich Park also offers outstanding views of Canary Wharf Getty Britain's finest urban parks Sefton Park, Liverpool Great for a nature stroll and home to a vibrant tropical palm house Psyche Delia Britain's finest urban parks Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh One of the smaller parks on the list albeit one that is home to a hilltop castle Getty Britain's finest urban parks Richmond Park, London Famed for its deer, sprawling Richmond Park is a dog walker's paradise Getty

Some areas of Northern Ireland and the far northwest of Scotland may have to wait until Monday for clouds to clear, but will still enjoy higher than average temperatures.

“It’s looking fine and dry and things will be warming up considerably over the next few days,” Met Office spokesman Richard Miles told The Independent.

“We are going to see a general pattern of warming and everyone is going to see some sunshine at some point over the weekend.”

A survey of 1,258 people by tourist board VisitEngland indicates more than seven million people are planning take advantage of the weather with an overnight trip in the UK this weekend.

This is up from almost five million last year and is the most since the annual survey was launched in 2013.

Research by the RAC and Inrix suggests 4.4 million car journeys for leisure trips will be made on Good Friday.

This is expected to cause many major routes to be clogged, with the worst delays between 11am and 4.30pm.

Meanwhile, travel trade association Abta expects 2.1 million British holidaymakers to head overseas this weekend, with Spain, Turkey and Egypt all reported as popular destinations.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

This exodus means airports, ferry terminals and the Channel Tunnel are likely to be busier than usual.

“Easter is always one of the most popular times of year for travel and over the long weekend millions of holidaymakers will be taking either an overseas or a domestic break,” said Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer.

“As always on a busy bank holiday, leave plenty of time to get to your departure port and check for engineering work and line closures if using public transport.”