Britons basked in the sunshine on the hottest day of the year on Sunday - amid warnings a cold snap is about to bring an abrupt end to the warm spell.

The Met Office said temperatures reached as high as the mid-20s with those enjoying the sights at Kew Gardens, in west London, treated to a summer-like 24.9C.

Topcliffe in Yorkshire saw a temperature of 20C in late afternoon, but the residents of Saughall, a village in Cheshire, were practically shivering at just 11.7C.

People enjoy warm weather and sunshine in Green Park, London on the hottest day of the year so far (Tolga Akmen/LNP/REX) (Rex)

But the glorious sunny weather will not last, meteorologists said, starting tonight.

The Met Office said: "Cloud and patchy light rain will move south across England and Wales overnight. Clearer, but colder weather will follow into many northern areas, with patchy frost and scattered showers. Showers turning wintry over high ground across the far north.

"Monday will generally be breezy and much cooler, with sunny spells and scattered showers. The showers are most likely to affect Scotland, Northern Ireland and eastern parts of England."