Fine weather across much of western Europe has brought parks and gardens to life, encouraging spring flowers to burst forth.

Many parts of northern and eastern Europe endured a cold winter followed by a chilly early spring. But in recent days, temperatures have recovered.

In early April, Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, saw temperatures of 23 to 24 degrees Celsius - at least 12 degrees above average.

On Sunday, temperatures at Heathrow Airport in Britain's capital, London, reached 25C, well above the early April average maximum of 13C.

Across the English Channel, temperatures in France's Paris were almost 10 degrees above average, with a maximum of 25C on Sunday.

In the coming days, central and southern parts of Europe will remain warm and sunny, while more northern areas will see weather returning to the seasonal average.