Ewe heard it here first - spring is finally in the air.

       It might not feel like it outside, but down on farm optimism abounds.

       And these little lambs - prize-winning Valais Blacknose - are full of it.

       The breed, known as the world’s cutest lambs, were seen hav？ing a wooly good time basking in the sunshine but they have to be handled with extreme care.

       Although they cost ￡1,000 on average, the variety can easily fetch up to ￡20,000 at auction.

       Farmer Chris Slee, who has been raising the unique sheep at Halsbury Barton in North Devon since 2017, said: “These lambs tend to be friendlier than other breeds. We wanted to diversify and we spotted these sheep and thought they looked a bit different – so we gave them a go.”

       The breed are known as the world's cutest thanks to their large eyes and curly coat and were seen joyfully playing in a field of daffodils, curling up in a wheelbarrow, and cuddling owner Chris as they made the most of the balmy West Country weather.

       And why wouldn’t they?

       ？Although yesterday was a pea-souper with many places waking to a harsh frost and fog, the largely dry and bright start to March is set to continue with some areas hotter than Spain at the weekend as a mini-heatwave ？hits the UK.

       While Madrid will only reach 11C [52F] the south coast is ？forecast to see highs of 15C [59F] with wall-to-wall sunshine, according to the Met Office.

       And if that wasn’t enough, at the end of the month the clocks go forward, meaning longer, brighter days and Easter is on the horizon.

       After the misery of a long, cold winter that really does sound like shear bliss…