Temperature of 29.9C in Gravesend, Kent, is hottest since records began, beating previous high set in 1985
Brighton beach on Saturday 1 October.It's official: it is the hottest 1 October since records began 101 years ago.
As sunbathers packed the beaches across the country, the Met Office in London confirmed the previous record for 1 October was broken at 13.27 in Gravesend, Kent, when a temperature of 29.5C was recorded.
But temperatures at this time of the year peak at around 2pm and by mid-afternoon Gravesend was basking in scorching heat of 29.9C.
The previous record for England was set in 1985 in March, Cambridgeshire, when temperatures for 1 October reached 29.4C.
A forecaster at the Met Office said Wales had also set a new national record with temperatures of 28.2C in Hawarden.
Saturday's glorious sunshine has meant three consecutive record-beating days.
On Friday, Cambridge set a new record temperature for the hottest ever 30 September with 29.2C, beating the 27.8C set in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1908.
And on Thursday Kew Gardens in west London set another record with 28.8C – the highest ever 29 September temperature, beating the mark of 27.8C set in York in 1985.
Sunbathers packed the beaches and parks across the country as the nation made the most of the exceptional weather.
In Brighton, tourism officials reported a 30% increase in people clicking on to the city's official tourist website, visitbrighton, and calls to the Brighton visitor information centre rose by more than 50%.
The unseasonally warm weather is expected to continue on Sunday, although rain has already broken the dry spell in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Brighton tourism councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost in visitors was a "welcome fillip" at the end of the summer season and helped support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton.
He said: "Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it's no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it."
The value of tourism to a resort like Brighton is £732m. More than 8.5 million people visit the East Sussex city a year.
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:59 pm