Britain is preparing for the hottest day of the year but the Met Office has warned people in the west of Scotland to expect isolated heavy showers as a thunderstorm sweeps over parts of Strathclyde later.

Temperatures are predicted to peak at 28C in Glasgow and 34C in south east England this afternoon.

However, a yellow weather warning has been issued for rain and hail across south west Scotland.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Isolated, heavy, and possibly severe thunderstorms are expected to develop late Wednesday afternoon across parts of Northern England and Southern Scotland.

“Some torrential downpours are possible leading to localised surface water flooding, with hail and frequent lightning also possible hazards.

“The public should be aware that there is a chance of some very localised significant disruption.”

The Chief Forecaster also issued a detailed statement which explained the weather conditions.

It read: “With large amounts of energy available in the atmosphere, storms could be severe, with torrential downpours and hail of up to 1cm in size. 20-30 mm of rain is possible in less than an hour, with as much as 60 mm possible in 3 hours very locally.

“Large uncertainty remains regarding areas most at risk from storms, and many areas will miss these altogether and stay dry. However, where they do develop, very localised significant disruption is possible.”