The hot spell is coming to an end with cooler and windy weather on the way, the Met Office has said.

The UK outlook is for increasingly unsettled conditions over the next few days.

Temperatures will move closer to the seasonal average across the country, with rain showers moving in to the north of England and Scotland, the forecaster said.

The wet weather could continue into the weekend in northern areas, with strong winds also expected.

Further south, sunny spells will stay, but the soaring temperatures will start to drop with light winds moving in, the Met Office said.

Spokesman Grahame Madge said: “After the spell of warmth earlier this week, the UK forecast is pivoting rapidly to cooler and more unsettled conditions.

“This change is being driven by an unseasonably deep area of low pressure to the west of Scotland, this is bringing strong winds and rain to northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

“A cold front from this system is dragging cooler air eastwards across the rest of the UK.

“This is bringing temperatures down to much nearer average values.

“The UK outlook for the next few days is for periods of unsettled conditions to be interspersed with brighter spells.”

The incoming unsettled weather follows a period of sustained high temperatures.

Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far, the Met Office said, with a high of 30.3C recorded at Heathrow Airport.

The previous hottest day of the year was Tuesday, with the mercury topping out at 30C in Chertsey in Surrey.

London’s ability to deal with future extreme heatwaves was put to the test on Thursday as the capital’s key agencies came together to plan how to support residents and minimise disruption.

‘Operation Helios’ explored an extreme heat scenario of five days of heat that scientists warn could affect Londoners by 2027.

The NHS said the number of people seeking heat advice on its website “skyrocketed” after a yellow heat health alert covering most of the country came into force on Monday.

The weather across the country is expected to turn cloudier on Monday, with rain moving in from the west, the forecaster said.