Following the highest temperatures ever recorded in winter, complete with wildfires erupting across the country, Britain’s apocalyptic weather bender is apparently continuing with “blood rain” as we enter spring.

No, Slayer haven’t taken over the Met Office, and no actual blood will be bleeding from a “lacerated sky”, but one of the reasons for the intempestive hot weather is southern winds coming from Africa over the past fortnight.

As well as delivering warm air, the winds have whipped Saharan dust high into the sky, which can then tinge clouds red, make the rain itself turn red, and when it dries, leave an orange crusty deposit - not unlike dried blood.

On Thursday this meteorological mayhem was detected in satellite imagery moving towards remote parts of Scotland, Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell told The Independent.

But despite some media reports of a “massive 500-mile wide Saharan sand cloud” set to bring blood rain to Britain, Ms Mitchell said the UK was highly unlikely to see blood rain proper.

Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Show all 17 1 /17 Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures A moorland fire burns on Saddleworth Moor near Marsden on February 26. Picture taken with permission from the Instagram feed of Nick Lawton PA Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue reported last night that the fire covers approximately 1.5 square kilometres Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures The heather and grass fire comes after the UK recorded its warmest ever February day Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue reported last night that the fire covers approximately 1.5 square kilometres Getty Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Firefighters are still tackling the blaze this morning Getty Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures A photo taken by the roadside on the moor PA Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures A moorland fire burns on Saddleworth Moor near Marsden on February 26 Getty Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures The fire seen near the moor town of Diggle Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures A firefighter is seen tackling the blaze near the moor town of Diggle Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Response units nearby Dovestone Reservoir on Saddleworth Moor Getty Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures The fire seen near the moor town of Diggle Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures A firefighter is seen tackling the blaze near the moor town of Diggle Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures The fire seen near the moor town of Diggle Reuters Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Firefighters tackle the blaze AFP/Getty Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Damage caused by the fire. An area of around 1.5 square kilometres was burning after Britain saw its hottest winter day on record on Tuesday PA Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Damage caused by the fire. An area of around 1.5 square kilometres was burning after Britain saw its hottest winter day on record on Tuesday PA Fire rages on Saddleworth Moor: in pictures Damage caused by the fire. An area of around 1.5 square kilometres was burning after Britain saw its hottest winter day on record on Tuesday Getty

“You could see some Saharan dust across Scotland earlier, but that was about it,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Blood rain doesn’t really happen in this country as such. It’s not necessarily a meteorological term either,” she said. “It’s mostly in other countries when you get red dust particles in the air, it can rain out and the rain can appear red. But we can get dust settling on cars and things like that. That’s really it.”

“It has come from the Sahara. The southerly winds from Africa picked up that dust and brought it further north.”

But the forecast is now for westerly winds to hit the UK which are expected to blow remaining dust further east.

Blood rain has been documented numerous times since ancient history, with the first mention of the phenomenon in Homer’s Iliad, in which Zeus causes blood rain to fall as an omen of a bloody battle.

In the 14th Century, a blood rain supposedly heralded the arrival of the black death in Germany.