The maximum daily temperature record for the UK as a whole for October has been broken with 29.5C recorded at Gravesend at 13:27 BST, according to the Met Office.

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© John Walton/Press AssociationChildren play in a fountain in the centre of Sheffield
Forecasters say temperatures are still rising and may even top 86F (30C) or higher in some parts of the country.

The forecast comes as the country entered its fourth day of an unprecedented Indian summer which has seen it experience temperatures higher than the Bahamas and Hawaii.

The previous record value was reported at March in Cambridgeshire on 1st October 1985.

Many headed to the south's beaches as the temperatures rose to an all-time October high - over 85 degrees F.

In Bournemouth, Dorset, over 100,000 sunseekers were on the seven miles of golden sand enjoying conditions better than Spain.

The council has had to take all its deckchairs and sunloungers out of storage and beach huts were opened up.

Roads to the resort were packed and sea front car parks were full by mid-morning.

Nearly all the hotel rooms were booked ahead of the weekend and traders were looking forward to a mini boom.

Thousands of freshers from the town's university were making the most of the sun, sand and sea.

Nearby resorts of Poole, Swanage, and Weymouth were also preparing for bumper weekend.

Sarah Bennett, 19, from London, who is a student at Bournemouth University, was on the beach with her new friends.

She said: "I can't believe it's October. I didn't bring any summer clothes with me so I have to go out and buy some.

"I never thought I'd be sunbathing and swimming in the sea when I started the term.

"It is absolutely fantastic and I've been in touch with all my school friends and they are very jealous that I am in Bournemouth."

A spokesman from the resort's tourism office said: "In the week over 90 per cent of the hotel rooms had been booked in advance.

"Hotels were ringing each other up to try and find spare rooms. We have put extra staff out on the beach and we are enjoying the August weather that we never really had."

Ice cream seller Ray Downes said: "It's incredible. I thought that the days of warm weather were over - but this week has been exceptional.

"Spring was glorious, the summer was awful, and now autumn is great. I've been shifting thousands of lollipos and ice creams and this is set to me my best weekend of the year."