Summer is finally set to arrive in North Yorkshire as temperatures soar for the Midsummer Solstice on Sunday.

Weather forecasters are predicting temperatures of 26C (80F), plenty of sun and the occasional thunderstorm for the county on Saturday, the day before the solstice.

Michael Dukes, of PA Weatherwatch, said warm air was expected to sweep north across England at the weekend, with the south-east reaching up to 30C (86F).

He expects temperatures to nearly double across the country on Saturday from today's unseasonably low 15C (63F) and to be accompanied by bright sunshine.

Indications are that the hot spell could continue into the first days of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, which starts on Monday.

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