MORE warm weather is on the way throughout the start of this week, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-to-late teens.

But sunshine lovers are being warned to make the most of these unusually warm February temperatures, as March is expected to bring much colder weather, with the risk of some ice and snow.

Over the weekend, temperatures in Blackburn reached around 15 degrees, which is around six degrees higher than the average for this time of year. Some parts of East Lancashire were even warmer than the south of France.

Met Office meteorologist Dean Hall said the warmer weather is a result of two high pressure systems - one extending over eastern and north eastern parts of Europe and another drawing up milder weather from the Canary Islands. Areas of low pressure he said are confined to the mid Atlantic.

"High pressure will bring dry and still weather into the start of next week," he said.

But meteorologists predict that will be the last of the warm weather for now, as a large cloud system moves in from Eastern Europe throughout the end of next week.

The UK's maximum February temperature of 19.7C was recorded at Greenwich on February 13, 1998.

Scotland's record was broken on Thursday when it reached 18.3C Aboyne in Aberdeenshire