by Hans Chow

This was the stunning scene that met early birds walking along the banks of the Thames this week.

Regular contributor Jason Arthur snapped the breathtaking shots as temperatures began to soar on Tuesday morning.

The hottest day of the year was recorded in Gravesend on Wednesday as temperatures hit 25˚C but the mercury continued to climb, peaking at 27˚C on Thursday.

The Met Office said the warm front has had the greatest impact in southeast England, with temperatures increasing as much as 10 degrees, compared to that at the beginning of the week.

The meteorological centre said an area of low pressure was formed due to air getting pushed up from tropical regions of the north Atlantic Ocean to western Europe.

Warm temperatures will remain until the end of the week, with temperatures cooling down back to 15˚C on Monday.