Spring made an appearance across much of Europe as well as the UK

The BBC weather centre said highs of 17C were also recorded during sunny spells in Aberdeen.

And it promised similar temperatures up to the weekend as intermittent sunshine was predicted for much of the country.

"Any day from now to the weekend could see temperatures going up to the late teens," said forecaster Peter Gibbs.

"It's not exceptional temperatures - it has been as high as 25C in March before - but it's pretty good compared to what we've had recently," he said.

'Spring is here'

Gibbs said the temperatures were high in areas where the sunshine was burning through clouds cover. He also warned much of the UK would see rain overnight into Thursday.

But he said: "The weekend looks nice. It should be dry everywhere, pleasantly warm, and if you're lucky there should be some sunshine around."

"Spring is here," he said.

Continental Europe also saw temperatures peak as high as 20C in some places.

The rise in temperatures comes after a chilly period in early march which saw many part of the UK hit by snow blizzards and freezing temperatures.

Hundreds of schools were also closed and gritters were out in force across the country to clear roads affected by treacherous ice in the first weekend of March.