UK weather: Covidiots may finally stay indoors as holiday heatwave ends

Any Britons tempted to head outside amid the coronavirus lockdown over the Easter holiday weekend may find the weather less enticing today – after temperatures halved in 24 hours in many parts of the country.

The Met Office is forecasting highs of only 13C (55F) for much of southern England today, after the mercury hit at least 25C (77F) in London on Saturday and Sunday as Britons enjoyed the hottest weather of the year so far.

The shivering start to the week comes after a cold front swept across the UK last night bringing a flow of chilly northerly air that took temperatures down to -4C (25F) in the Scottish Highlands and -3C (27F) in the Pennines.

The colder weather should discourage people from breaking the lockdown laws – which have been in place across Britain since March 23 to fight the virus pandemic – by flocking to beaches and national parks. 

Most of Britain is still expected to enjoy dry sunny spells for this week, except for northern Scotland. Met Office meteorologist Emma Salter said: ‘Today is going to be a bit of a shock to the system for some places. 

‘It’s going to be dry but will feel really cold for England and Wales, with a drop in temperature. There will be plenty of sunshine but it will be breezy. A lot of places in England and Wales will struggle to get to double figures.’ 

Temperatures reached 25.5C (77.9F) at St James’s Park in London on Saturday – the warmest day of the year so far – and then 25C (77F) in the same park yesterday. A 25C high was also recorded in Bude, Cornwall, on Good Friday.

But today the Met Office forecasts highs of only 15C (59F) for South West England and 13C (55F) in the rest of the South. Although the latter is the average UK temperature for mid-April, it is a huge drop in temperature.

Elsewhere was set to be chillier still, with 9C (48F) to 10C (50F) predicted further west and north, and – under cloudy skies in north-east England – highs of just 7C (45F) are likely in Newcastle upon Tyne.

By the end of the week it should turn warmer again, although higher pressure – which serves as a shield to deter rain – will break down by the coming weekend, with north-western and southern areas at most risk of a washout.

Yesterday’s high was just off the Easter Sunday record of 25.3C (77.5F) set in Hampshire on April 24, 2011. The warmest April day was in Camden, North London, on April 16, 1949, when temperatures soared to 29.4C (85F). 

In its forecast for the rest of April and into the start of May, the Met Office said: ‘Looking further ahead it is likely that settled weather will continue for much of the country.

‘This (means) some good spells of sunshine and dry conditions for many with the best of the drier weather around central areas of the UK. Showers and at times some longer spells of rain are possible in the south.

‘Temperatures should be around average for the time of year but large variations between day and night remain possible with the chance of isolated frost patches.’ 

Beaches and parks were largely deserted for most of the Easter weekend, with popular bank holiday hotspots and motorways almost empty, as police praised people for shunning the sun and staying at home .

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said yesterday that the future path of the pandemic would be ‘determined by how people act’, adding: ‘I’m really glad that at the moment the British people this weekend are doing their bit.’

And Mr Hancock reiterated the importance of complying with lockdown regulations as he wished the nation a Happy Easter. He posted a video on Twitter urging people to continue following the social distancing rules. 

However, it comes as two teenagers were charged with assaulting a Metropolitan Police officer and breaching coronavirus rules on public gatherings on a residential street in Brixton, South London, on Friday

A 17-year-old boy was charged with criminal damage, assault on an emergency worker and obstructing a police constable. Jamar Jackman, 19, of Brixton was also charged with two counts of assault on an emergency worker and one count of obstructing a police constable.

Both teenagers were later charged with contravening a requirement to not participate in a gathering in public of more than two people. They were remanded into custody to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court today.

And in Birmingham, a dog walker condemned a group of men who defied coronavirus lockdown rules to play football on a tennis court at Gilbertstone Park in the Yardley area of the city on Saturday afternoon.

He claimed the group were up close and tackling each other – ignoring social distancing – and said he called West Midlands Police when he returned home.

He said: ‘I was disgusted when I saw them. These weren’t young kids but men aged between 20 and around 40. They should have known better. There were at least 20 of them. They were inside the tennis courts playing football, getting close and tackling. It is just unbelievable how selfish some people can be. 

‘There were groups of people sitting on the grass together too. I haven’t seen police on the park at all. They need to go and break these groups up and fine them. When I got home I rang police to tell them. 

‘I have been told this group have met up before at the same time – it’s become like a regular game of footie meet-up. It’s just beyond belief how stupid and selfish some people are.’

West Midlands Police have so far issued 17 fixed penalty notices to people who refused to heed police requests to disperse as part of the lockdown.