Britain is set to bask in a weekend of sunshine with parts of the UK reaching 34C next week.

Forecasters have said a "Spanish plume" coming from mainland Europe across the Channel will see temperatures rise drastically towards the end of next week.

From Friday, temperatures in the south-east could see highs of 30C.

Temperatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be a few degrees cooler than England, which is expected to peak at 24C to 28C

From Friday, temperatures in the south-east could see highs of 30C

Highs of 32C are predicted around midday on Saturday in the south-east as temperatures will continue to rise.

The increase in heat will continue until 6pm on Saturday, with the south-east peaking at around 34C, according to temperature maps.

The rest of eastern and southern England could hit highs of above 30C.

The Midlands is not predicted to reach the same temperatures, peaking at 29C.

On Saturday, the south-east is predicted to peak at around 34C

The Met Office has said "hot" conditions are on the cards for some, although more thunderstorms are possible.

Its forecast for June 12 to June 21 states: "The start of this period is likely to be quite unsettled but also widely warm or very warm, perhaps locally hot in parts of the south and east.

"Some showers and thunderstorms are likely to affect most parts but there will also be some sunshine. Over the weekend and into the start of the following week, most parts will become drier.

"However, there may be another brief spell of rain with a risk of some thunderstorms, before high pressure more firmly builds in from the west.

"The rest of the following week looks like being mainly dry with variable cloud and some sunshine and often warm or very warm.

"The far north may be largely cloudy with a threat of some more rain at times though."

Simpson said this mass of hot air will impact the southern and eastern regions the most

Netweather forecaster Ian Simpson has said "a very hot air mass will develop over Spain and Portugal over the next few days".

Simpson said this mass of hot air will impact the southern and eastern regions the most.

However, he added: "The heat will not last for long in these parts, being delivered by a 'Spanish plume' type of southerly followed by a change to cooler west to south-westerlies, but it could end up quite intense for this early in the season.

"It is not yet certain how much of this hot air mass will reach the British Isles, but temperatures in the high 20Cs are already looking highly probable, and it is possible that there could be a day or two when temperatures get into the low 30Cs, particularly in the south-east."