Temperatures could 'easily' hit 20C in Kent by the end of this week, marking a very warm start to the October half term holiday.

While perhaps not quite the Indian Summer many may be hoping for in the face of rising energy bills - forecasters at the Met Office say England is in for some above average weather that will make it feel 'rather warm' in the sunshine.

The mercury is set to fluctuate in the coming days as the wind direction swings from west to east and back again, and low pressure draws in some unsettled, blustery weather and with it the risk of rain and some thunderstorms.

Wednesday may even see some chilly, frosty conditions also as a result, says Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin.

But as we get closer to the weekend the weather prospects are looking up thanks to hot air coming from the continent that could push temperatures four to five degrees higher than is traditional for autumn.

The warm air from the south - also being described as an African plume - is expected to bring much better weather by Friday just as the majority of schools break for their week-long half term holiday.

With average October temperatures usually recording highs of 14C and lows of 7C a forecast of 20C in the sunshine could be a far cry from what is normal for this time of year.

Alex added: "There will be showers coming and going through the day. But, with a bit of sunshine, temperatures certainly in the south east could be knocking on the door of 20 Celsius easily.

"And elsewhere, temperatures still will be well above average because the air is coming up from the south."

Earlier this month researchers at the University of Reading suggested that the UK could be in for a milder than average winter.

Investigations by Dr Christopher O'Reilly who studied climate models and the factors around the globe that can influence a UK winter, also found that small changes in winter temperatures could save the country millions in gas and electricity.