Temperatures will hit 26C this week following a month of grey and wet weather for many, forecasters say.

Parts of the country will bask in periods of warm sunshine due to “dominating” levels of high pressure, according to the Met Office.

It comes after some areas have seen wetter than usual weather for August – in what has been a changeable month for many.

Sarah Kent, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency: “High pressure is dominating this week bringing mostly settled conditions with variable amounts of cloud.

“However, there will be a north-easterly breeze coming in from the North Sea making it feel colder for some regions especially later on in the week.

“Where there is sun, particularly on Wednesday, temperatures could reach highs of 24C in England and Wales, while western areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland could be up to 26C.

“This all depends on the amount of cloud some regions see.”

UV and pollen levels will also be high across parts of England and Wales over the coming days.

Ms Kent said that after Wednesday, the temperature will become cooler as a cold front moves in.

She went on to say: “It’s not going to be wall-to-wall warm weather all week, that north-easterly wind will continue to peg back any chances of the temperature going too high.”

It comes after parts of the UK have seen large amounts of rainfall for the time of year, including the City of London, which has experienced its ninth wettest August on record.

However, Ms Kent said this does not represent the country as a whole- concluding that it’s been the seventh warmest August on record.

She added: “This month has pretty much swung back and forth for many, areas in Scotland have been drier than usual, while areas in the south-east have, of course, seen plenty of torrential downpours.

“It hasn’t been so bad, the country has generally seen 72% of its average rainfall for the month so far, which is pretty much where you want to be as we come to the end of August.”