The first week of spring will usher in seven days of sunshine across the UK, forecasters have said.

       Sunday marked the start of the season, and the Met Office has forecast dry, sunny weather across the nation – with daytime temperatures in the mid to late teens for the coming week.

       Southern areas including parts of London and Cambridge are set to bask in up to 20C heat on Tuesday, and forecasters have advised anyone spending long periods outdoors to wear sunscreen.

       Following a warm weekend when the mercury hit 20.2C in Kinlochewe in Scotland, Met Office spokesperson Aidan McGivern said Britons can look forward to a further “seven days” of sunshine “at least”.

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       “There will be more spring sunshine to come during the rest of the week,” he said.

       “High pressure close to the east then becomes increasingly centred over the UK from Wednesday into Thursday and Friday.

       “That high pressure isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable.

       “For the next seven days at least it’s going to bring plenty of warm sunshine.”

       He added that “variable amounts of cloud” will move across parts of northern England, the Midlands and southern Scotland on Tuesday bringing “a few lights showers”, but most of the day will be dry and sunny.

       London is set to see 18C heat on Tuesday, while 16C in predicted in Cardiff, 15C in Belfast and 13C in Edinburgh.

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       Similar temperatures are forecast for the following days, with the mercury dropping one or two degrees towards the end of the week.

       Cold nights are forecast to follow balmy days with the mercury dropping to single figures in most areas and to just below freezing overnight in some rural areas.