Britons have basked in the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures higher than Mediterranean hotspots such as Barcelona, Rome and Athens.

The mercury hit 17.5C (63.5F) in Murlough, Co Down, Northern Ireland, while Santon Downham in Suffolk followed closely behind with 17.3C (63.14F).

Temperatures reached around 13 degrees in East Lancashire.

Scotland also enjoyed its warmest weather so far in Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, which got up to 15.9C (60.62F).

The previous record this year was set in Exeter on January 9 when temperatures reached 16.5C (63.5F) .

But the sun was not enjoyed by all, with western parts of Scotland experiencing wet weather, and is not expected to last.

Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said: "It has been very pleasant day for many parts of the UK.

"Most of the country has seen the warmest day of the year with the exception of western Scotland, where it has been quite wet.

"As we go through tomorrow the rain will clear Scotland and make its way south towards England and Wales.

"Temperatures will return to around average, with highs of 10C (50F) to 11C (51.8F), cooling off a little bit but still not cold by any means.

"As we go into Sunday night it will be cold, with temperatures close to freezing in many spots if the sky is clear.

"Next week will see quite changeable weather but nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year."

Yellow "be aware" and amber "be prepared" warnings will be in place until tomorrow afternoon for heavy rain over western and central parts of Scotland, which may see up to 200mm of rain over 36 hours.

The worst hit were Cluanie Inn in the Highlands, which suffered 111mm from midday yesterday to midday today, and Kinlochewe in Wester Ross which saw 56.6mm between midnight last night and midday today.

The Met Office also put a yellow warning in place for winds in the far north of Northern Ireland and the whole of Scotland from Monday morning to Tuesday morning.

Gusts are expected to reach around 60/70mph, with the potential to get up to 80mph in the most exposed parts of western and northern Scotland.