By . Claire Ellicott . PUBLISHED: . 07:40 EST, 23 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:31 EST, 23 March 2012 . It's known as panic tanning. British soldiers due to fly home to their loved ones grab a last dose of the Afghan sun before returning to bleak old Blighty. As it turns out, however, they need not worry – for Britain is predicted to be one of the hottest places in Europe this weekend. Warm Mediterranean breezes blowing in from the Continent could push temperatures to 21c (70f) in places. At ease: Soldiers from 8th Platoon, C Company 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment cram in a last 'Operation Bronze' as they panic tan on top of a wall at Patrol Base (PB) Clifton, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan . Soaking up the rays: Three-year-old Jack Manning, left, makes the most of the unseasonably high temperatures near Portsmouth while, right, Elsie Saunders, four, and her brother Charlie, one, enjoy the sun and make sandcastles on the beach in Torquay, Devon . Who needs to go abroad? Two students lap up the sun on the beach in Bournemouth, where it may end up getting hotter than Bermuda this weekend . By contrast, Malaga and Majorca will manage only 18c (64f). The UK will also be hotter than Corfu, Barcelona and Faro in Portugal, and about the same temperature as Athens and Rome. And as the clocks go forward on Sunday morning, marking the beginning of British Summer Time, the country – particularly in the west – will feel like it is summer already, with temperatures 7c above average. But don’t get too used to the good weather – last year’s warm spring was followed by a washout summer. Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers said: ‘We are set for a lovely weekend, with temperatures reaching 17-18c and even 21c in some places. There will be plenty of sunshine around. ‘This is down to an area of high pressure to the east of us bringing in warm air from France and the Mediterranean. ‘Sunday will start off a bit grey and misty but we’ll find that clearing away and bringing in warm sunshine again.’ Miss . Chivers added that the unseasonal weather would continue for a while at . least – although parts of East Anglia and the south-east could miss . out. Sun trap: Residents in Portsmouth catch rays on the beach at the city's historic hot walls, a rare day out for this time of year . Chilling out: The mercury is expected to remain at similar levels throughout the weekend and into next week, although some parts of the UK, particularly east Suffolk, may have it spoiled by cloud . Don't forget the suncream! Residents in Portsmouth get into the spirit of summer months early . Idyllic: Horse riders enjoy the spring sunshine in Hyde Park, left, as boaters enjoy themselves on the river Cam in Cambridge, right . ‘We are expecting the warm weather to carry on into the weekend and next week,’ she said. ‘We may well see a change towards the . end of next week with things becoming cooler, but it is quite a long way . out for us to say for definite that this will be the case.’ Friday was the warmest day of the year so far with a temperature of 20.6c (69f) in Charlwood, Surrey. But although the temperatures are unseasonal, they won’t make the record books. The hottest March day was 25.6c (78f) at Mepal in Cambridgeshire on March 29, 1968. The . dry conditions spell further difficulties for water companies, which . fear a prolonged drought and have already warned of hosepipe bans. The Environment Agency said: ‘It’s . been the driest March since records began in 1910 and it’s not looking . likely that we’ll have enough rain to avoid a widespread drought this . summer. ‘We’re working with . farmers to keep them going through the summer and we have new . regulations to produce environmental sites like wetlands. It’s our job . to make sure everybody gets water and the environment is protected. It’s . been a very, very dry week and river levels are continuing to decrease. ‘Obviously, it’s nice to have a sunny weekend but what we really need at the moment is a prolonged period of rainfall. ‘On . hot weekends, we should all try to use less water. If we all can use a . little less, we can make the most of what we have.’  The sun-tanning . soldiers were from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Having spent the past . three years in Helmand, one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan, . yesterday they were grabbing some well-earned relaxation before they . were due to fly home. Spring gone already? Lambs enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in a field in Kexby, North Yorkshire, today . Explosion of colour: Alan Shipp with some of his 200,000 hyacinths, the largest collection in the world. He is planning to enter some of them into the Chelsea Flower Show . Signs of things to come: A beautiful sunrise behind fishing boats at North Shields Fish Quay, Tyne and Wear as temperatures top those of many European destinations . Water life: Student Jasmine Newey, 21, relaxes with a book in a punt on the River Cam in Cambridge . Punting pleasure: Sightseers enjoy a day on the River Cam in Cambridge yesterday when temperatures in some parts of the UK reached the highest for year so far . Comfy? A couple perch on what is expected to be confirmed as the world's largest deckchair on Bournemouth Beach yesterday as the mercury rose to a balmy 18.7C . If . you don't fancy heading to the beach, here is a selection of other . events happening this weekend to make the most of the great weather: . World Pooh Sticks ChampionshipsMarch 22-27Days Lock, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire . The . 27th annual event, organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, sees . Individuals and teams compete in a knock-out style competition by . dropping different coloured sticks from each of the two bridges at the . lock. Segway Tour of Wollaton Hall & Der ParkSundayAnimal . lovers can head to the Nottinghamshire park on Sunday for a Segway tour . of its 500 acres. Tours last 30 minutes and cost £10 but you can have a . taster session for £3.The Faberge Big Egg HuntTake . part in a London-wide search to find 200 Easter eggs designed and . decorated by artists and jewellers to raise money for Elephant Family . and Action for Children. Source:www.enjoyengland.com . But spare a thought for.... The villagers of Collingbourne Ducis. Due . to the extraordinarily dry weather, they have seen the river through . their village run dry, forcing the cancellation of their annual duck . race.It’s the second year running that the race for scores of . yellow plastic ducks has been called off because there’s no river for . them to float on.Organiser Lindie Rogers said 'It a real shame because people look forward to the race.' It was meant to take place at the end of February, but it seems there's no hope of it being rescheduled any time soon.
Balmy armies heading for the coast as UK temperatures hit 21C .
By . Claire Ellicott . PUBLISHED: . 07:40 EST, 23 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:31 EST, 23 March 2012 . It's known as panic tanning. British soldiers due to fly home to their loved ones grab a last dose of the Afghan sun before returning to bleak old Blighty. As it turns out, however, they need not worry – for Britain is predicted to be one of the hottest places in Europe this weekend. Warm Mediterranean breezes blowing in from the Continent could push temperatures to 21c (70f) in places. At ease: Soldiers from 8th Platoon, C Company 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment cram in a last 'Operation Bronze' as they panic tan on top of a wall at Patrol Base (PB) Clifton, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan . Soaking up the rays: Three-year-old Jack Manning, left, makes the most of the unseasonably high temperatures near Portsmouth while, right, Elsie Saunders, four, and her brother Charlie, one, enjoy the sun and make sandcastles on the beach in Torquay, Devon . Who needs to go abroad? Two students lap up the sun on the beach in Bournemouth, where it may end up getting hotter than Bermuda this weekend . By contrast, Malaga and Majorca will manage only 18c (64f). The UK will also be hotter than Corfu, Barcelona and Faro in Portugal, and about the same temperature as Athens and Rome. And as the clocks go forward on Sunday morning, marking the beginning of British Summer Time, the country – particularly in the west – will feel like it is summer already, with temperatures 7c above average. But don’t get too used to the good weather – last year’s warm spring was followed by a washout summer. Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers said: ‘We are set for a lovely weekend, with temperatures reaching 17-18c and even 21c in some places. There will be plenty of sunshine around. ‘This is down to an area of high pressure to the east of us bringing in warm air from France and the Mediterranean. ‘Sunday will start off a bit grey and misty but we’ll find that clearing away and bringing in warm sunshine again.’ Miss . Chivers added that the unseasonal weather would continue for a while at . least – although parts of East Anglia and the south-east could miss . out. Sun trap: Residents in Portsmouth catch rays on the beach at the city's historic hot walls, a rare day out for this time of year . Chilling out: The mercury is expected to remain at similar levels throughout the weekend and into next week, although some parts of the UK, particularly east Suffolk, may have it spoiled by cloud . Don't forget the suncream! Residents in Portsmouth get into the spirit of summer months early . Idyllic: Horse riders enjoy the spring sunshine in Hyde Park, left, as boaters enjoy themselves on the river Cam in Cambridge, right . ‘We are expecting the warm weather to carry on into the weekend and next week,’ she said. ‘We may well see a change towards the . end of next week with things becoming cooler, but it is quite a long way . out for us to say for definite that this will be the case.’ Friday was the warmest day of the year so far with a temperature of 20.6c (69f) in Charlwood, Surrey. But although the temperatures are unseasonal, they won’t make the record books. The hottest March day was 25.6c (78f) at Mepal in Cambridgeshire on March 29, 1968. The . dry conditions spell further difficulties for water companies, which . fear a prolonged drought and have already warned of hosepipe bans. The Environment Agency said: ‘It’s . been the driest March since records began in 1910 and it’s not looking . likely that we’ll have enough rain to avoid a widespread drought this . summer. ‘We’re working with . farmers to keep them going through the summer and we have new . regulations to produce environmental sites like wetlands. It’s our job . to make sure everybody gets water and the environment is protected. It’s . been a very, very dry week and river levels are continuing to decrease. ‘Obviously, it’s nice to have a sunny weekend but what we really need at the moment is a prolonged period of rainfall. ‘On . hot weekends, we should all try to use less water. If we all can use a . little less, we can make the most of what we have.’  The sun-tanning . soldiers were from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Having spent the past . three years in Helmand, one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan, . yesterday they were grabbing some well-earned relaxation before they . were due to fly home. Spring gone already? Lambs enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in a field in Kexby, North Yorkshire, today . Explosion of colour: Alan Shipp with some of his 200,000 hyacinths, the largest collection in the world. He is planning to enter some of them into the Chelsea Flower Show . Signs of things to come: A beautiful sunrise behind fishing boats at North Shields Fish Quay, Tyne and Wear as temperatures top those of many European destinations . Water life: Student Jasmine Newey, 21, relaxes with a book in a punt on the River Cam in Cambridge . Punting pleasure: Sightseers enjoy a day on the River Cam in Cambridge yesterday when temperatures in some parts of the UK reached the highest for year so far . Comfy? A couple perch on what is expected to be confirmed as the world's largest deckchair on Bournemouth Beach yesterday as the mercury rose to a balmy 18.7C . If . you don't fancy heading to the beach, here is a selection of other . events happening this weekend to make the most of the great weather: . World Pooh Sticks ChampionshipsMarch 22-27Days Lock, Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire . The . 27th annual event, organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, sees . Individuals and teams compete in a knock-out style competition by . dropping different coloured sticks from each of the two bridges at the . lock. Segway Tour of Wollaton Hall & Der ParkSundayAnimal . lovers can head to the Nottinghamshire park on Sunday for a Segway tour . of its 500 acres. Tours last 30 minutes and cost £10 but you can have a . taster session for £3.The Faberge Big Egg HuntTake . part in a London-wide search to find 200 Easter eggs designed and . decorated by artists and jewellers to raise money for Elephant Family . and Action for Children. Source:www.enjoyengland.com . But spare a thought for.... The villagers of Collingbourne Ducis. Due . to the extraordinarily dry weather, they have seen the river through . their village run dry, forcing the cancellation of their annual duck . race.It’s the second year running that the race for scores of . yellow plastic ducks has been called off because there’s no river for . them to float on.Organiser Lindie Rogers said 'It a real shame because people look forward to the race.' It was meant to take place at the end of February, but it seems there's no hope of it being rescheduled any time soon.
Charlwood, Surrey. But although the temperatures UK reached the highest for year so far . Comfy? A