As London heats up, head to the parks

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Seating plan: with temperatures set to reach 25C, the deckchairs in Hyde Park will see some custom

Bushy Park: one of 46 outstanding open spaces across the capital

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London is set for the hottest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures expected to hit 25C.

Forecasters say the mercury will reach 20C today before rising over the weekend. Thousands of Londoners are expected to descend on parks and open spaces.

"It's going to be very warm," said a Met Office forecaster.

"Today will see temperatures of around 20C to 21C, but tomorrow and Sunday we should see 25C in some parts of London. It's going to be very pleasant."

The heatwave is set to continue into next week. It will cool slightly on Monday but more hot weather is expected to follow by the middle of the week.

Forecasters believe Britain is set for a hot summer, with a "high probability" that the average temperature between July and August will be above 14.1C (57.4F) - making it the ninth year in a row that the season has been hotter than usual.

If the summer is hot - and forecasters say we may bask in temperatures above the 15.8C (60.44F) average recorded in the heatwaves of 2003 and last year - then this year could go down in history as the hottest and sunniest on record.

In March there were 142.9 hours of sunshine, almost 50 per cent higher than the average of 96.3 hours.

Average temperatures were almost 1.5C higher than usual.

Met Office spokesman Wayne Elliott said: "There is a very good chance that this summer will be hotter than average again. That is the trend over the last decade or so."

The years of hot weather, which are being linked to climate change, are altering the face of parks and gardens as species able to withstand more tropical conditions begin to thrive.

Some £30,000 worth of palm trees have been planted in Peckham in time for the summer. They were chosen because they are far better able to adapt to the long dry summers that are expected to become the norm.

However, experts warn that traditional British plants and trees could die out because of the rising temperatures and drier soils.

Daffodils, bluebells and snowdropsas well as roses, beech trees and oaks, are all at risk according to a recent report by scientists from the University of East Anglia which suggested that temperatures will increase by an average of 4C over the next 50 years.

Where to enjoy the sunshine without leaving London
46 parks in London have been awarded "Green Flag" status, marking them out as among Britain's best public open spaces.

Barking & Dagenham
Dagenham Parish Churchyard
Newlands Park

Barnet
Downhills Park
Highgate Wood
Priory Park
Railway Fields Local Nature Reserve
Stationers Park

Hillingdon
Cranford Countryside Park
Fassnidge Park
Harefield Village Green
Horniman Gardens
Lake Farm Country Park
Norman Leddy Memorial Gardens
Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve

Hounslow
Bedfont Lakes Country Park
Boston Manor Park

Islington
Edward Square
Fortune Street Park
Gillespie Park Local Nature Reserve
Newington Green

Kensington & Chelsea
Holland Park

Lambeth
Milkwood Open Space

Lewisham
Brookmill Park
Chinbrook Meadows
Eckington Gardens
Manor House Gardens
Sydenham Wells Park
Telegraph Hill Park

Newham
Central Park
City of London Cemetery and Crematorium
Forest Lane Park
Stratford Park
West Ham Park

Redbridge
Hainault Forest Country Park

Richmond
Bushy Park

Southwark
Southwark Park

Tower Hamlets
Island Gardens
Mile End Park
Trinity Square Gardens
Weavers Fields

Waltham Forest
Walthamstow Marsh
Waterworks Nature Reserve

Westminster
Paddington Recreation Ground
Queen's Park Gardens
St John's Wood Church Grounds
Victoria Embankment Gardens

 

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