Brits should brace for a mini-heatwave lasting across the May bank holiday, according to the Met Office.

The UK is set for 18C sunshine starting this week following a weekend of glorious weather as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

Temperatures are set to hit 18C in the south of England before cooling towards the end of the week, however, they will remain above 12C.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Daytime temperatures will rise a little over the next few days.”

When is the May Bank Holiday?

The early May bank holiday is the next upcoming public holiday for people in England and Wales.

It falls on Monday 3 May this year.

Meanwhile, the Spring bank holiday is on Monday 31 May - only four weeks later.

When will the heatwave hit?

Some parts of the UK will be welcomed with 18C sunshine on the morning of 19 April.

In the afternoon, southern parts of England and Wales are set to remain sunny and warm with temperatures reaching highs of 16C, while Scotland is going to be cloudier, with the mercury reaching 13C.

Western Scotland will see rain later in the afternoon, despite some sunny spells in the East.

A Met Office forecaster said there will be some patchy rain in the North East tonight, but most of the country will remain dry

The weather will continue into Tuesday, where the weather is set to be dry across the country.

The rain will move from the North West towards the South East.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "As we go into Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday we could see temperatures reach 16 to 18C in southern parts of England and Wales.

"The north is going to be a bit colder. We’ve got cold air coming down the north of the UK on Sunday, with northerly winds picking up through Monday."

The Met Office said temperatures are slightly above average for this time of year, when it is normally 12C or 13 in England.