A heatwave is on the horizon, says the Met Office, which is predicting that the first full week of the new month will bring hot weather to many.

After a largely unsettled August, the return to school for many pupils could happen under temperatures of 25C or more next week.

Two factors, say meteorologists, are driving the arrival of warm autumnal weather with both a shift in the jet stream allowing higher pressure to build and the influence of tropical cyclone Franklin in the Atlantic both playing their part in amplifying the chances of good weather.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Chris Bulmer, explained: “As high pressure becomes established from this weekend, fine and settled conditions will develop and along with this we will see a rise in temperature across most parts of the UK next week.

“Many places can expect to see maximum temperatures rise to 25°C or above for several days, which would bring some locations into the realm of heatwave conditions.

“Although the highest temperatures are likely to be in the south and east of England, these areas also have higher temperature thresholds for heatwave conditions to be declared.

"So, while some areas may just miss out on the actual definition, regardless of thresholds, many areas will enjoy a fine period of weather with plenty of sunshine and temperatures are likely to be the highest for many since June or early July.”

While longer range forecasts are less accurate the Met Office says the predicted ‘fine spell’ will continue through the next week and into next weekend before there is more of a chance in a breakdown in the settled weather.