Spring equinox temperatures hit 20C as UK basks in hottest day of the year

Warm weather brings blue skies – and pollution warnings and high pollen count

Thursday has become the hottest day of the year in the UK so far as temperatures topped 20C.

The Met Office said images showed “plenty of blue skies across the UK, although high cloud in the west is making the sunshine hazy here” and “in the sunshine across the south, temperatures have already reached 20C in a few spots”.