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Britain is set to bask in a nine-day heat blast as new weather maps turn deep red with temperatures soaring to 28C.

Latest ECMWF charts show a huge plume of hot air surging north from continental Europe, sending temperatures climbing steadily across the UK from the end of this week and into next.

Forecasters say parts of southern and eastern England could hit 28C by the middle of next week, with the hot spell threatening to bring the first heatwave conditions of the year.

Weather maps produced by WXCharts show temperatures widely reaching the low-to-mid 20s across England and Wales from Friday, before intensifying further over the following days.

By Sunday, much of southern Britain is forecast to reach 23C to 25C, with the warmest conditions centred on London, the South East and East Anglia.

The heat then builds through the week, with charts for Wednesday and Thursday showing parts of England turning orange and red as temperatures peak at 27C and 28C.

The warm plume is expected to linger for more than a week, with temperatures remaining above average across much of the country throughout the period.

Northern areas and coastal regions are likely to stay slightly cooler due to sea breezes, although temperatures are still forecast to remain comfortably above the seasonal norm.

The Met Office says high pressure from the south could "quickly start to build" as we head towards the bank holiday weekend, bringing "fine and dry conditions" as well as rising temperatures.

"Thereafter, high pressure is expected to broadly remain the dominant influence across much of the UK, with spells of fine weather," the Met Office adds in its forecast for May 20 to May 29.

The Met Office defines a heatwave as three consecutive days above a regional temperature threshold, which varies across the UK.

The heatwave threshold varies from 25C to 28C across parts of the UK.

The exact temperatures could still shift over the coming days, but confidence is growing that Britain is heading for its hottest spell of the year so far.