Sunshine has brought Sussex businesses a “multimillion pound windfall” – as the season is confirmed as one of the hottest since records began.

New Met Office figures confirmed yesterday that the county had the driest summer since 1995, with a business expert claiming God threw the economy “a lifeline”.

The mean temperature for Sussex for June, July and August was 17.5C compared to an average UK temperature of 15.2C, a Met Office spokesman said.

The county also had significantly less rainfall than the rest of the UK – with just 37.2mm of rain falling in the county.

The heatwave from July 3 to July 22 is believed to have injected millions into the Sussex economy.

Business bosses in Brighton and Hove expect the summer’s sweltering weather to have brought a “multimillion pound windfall” to the city.

Tony Mernagh, chief executive of Brighton and Hove Business Partnership, said: “If we’d had another dire summer on top of two bad Christmases there would have been fatalities, especially among smaller shops.

"As it is, God has thrown us a lifeline. It’s fantastic.

"The bad weather during two weekends before Christmas last year and the recession have had a terrible impact.

“People didn’t have the capital to survive. It was dire.

“So the hot weather came just in the nick of time.”

Stuart Wilkie of The Lanes Trading Association in Brighton, said: “It’s been wonderful.

"People come to the beach and the Palace Pier and pass through The Lanes.

"The restaurants have done really well in the evening.

“People have to book tables. You haven’t had to do that for the past couple of years.”

The Met Office said this summer is likely to be one of the top ten warmest since 1910 and the driest summer for Sussex since 1995.

A spokesman said: “While this summer is warmer, drier and sunnier than the long-
term average, it hasn't been exceptional.

“It stands out because the last six summers have been wetter than average, with 2012 and 2007 both being in the top five wettest, and 2008 and 2009 also in the top ten wettest since 1910.

“This year's heat wave was more notable for its duration than the actual temperatures recorded.”