Hottest day for years in north-east

The North-east had its hottest day since 2006 yesterday but, while many were soaking up the sunshine, thunderstorms put a dark cloud over some parts of the country.

As the mercury peaked at 28C in Aberdeen, matching the top temperatures in Tenerife and Rome, shoppers in Inverness were left soaked as a thunderstorm struck in the late afternoon. Sunseekers were also disappointed at Kinross and Lossiemouth as thunder broke the heatwave in the early afternoon.

The sun stayed out and the skies stayed clear across Aberdeenshire, reaching 25C.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Temperatures reached highs of around 28C in and around Aberdeen, which is just over 80F. Today the temperature will get a little cooler, yesterday was definitely the peak of the heatwave.

“Temperatures will drop to around 20C to 21C at best, and there is a slight chance of rain due to the humidity.

“The weekend looks set to be the same and temperatures will still be very good for this time of year.”

Marie Duncan, supervisor of the Inversnecky Cafe at Aberdeen beach, said: “The beach has been packed. As soon as the sun comes out everyone heads down.”

In Aberdeenshire dozens took to Royal Deeside to take a dip in the river to cool off.

Shoppers were evacuated from the Eastgate Centre in Inverness after the building was struck by lightning, causing a power surge and a short-circuit in the alarm systems.

Operations manager Andy Wade said: “A power surge caused by the heavy weather caused a temporary short-circuit, which triggered the voice evacuation system.

“The centre was evacuated and the fire service attended. After a thorough check the building was reopened within half an hour.”

While residents woke to bright sunshine, clouds gathered throughout the morning and the storm finally broke around 4pm, with a sustained display of lightning flashes.

Roads in the city were left flooded, including a roundabout linking Old Edinburgh Road and Damfield Road.

In London temperatures peaked at 31.8C (89.2F), putting the UK’s capital on a par with Athens.

As people attempted to cope with the heat, Debenh-ams said demand for child-ren’s sun hats had soared. Men were ditching suits for casual clothes to stay cool in the office, with sales of casual shorts jumping 204% week on week. Demand for Debenhams’ light three-tog duvets has likewise undergone a dramatic increase.

A survey out yesterday meanwhile revealed that sun-worshipping Scots are risking skin cancer by using moisturiser, baby oil and even chip fat instead of sun cream.

Unhealthy sunbathing habits are to blame for Scots having the highest risk of contracting skin cancer in the UK. One in five polled admitted to “binge” tanning, and a quarter said they used sun lotions with lower than recommended protection.

Four out of 10 Scots also admitted experimenting with their own sun lotions, such as cooking oils and moisturiser.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, which carried out the survey, urged sun worshippers not to “fry” and instead to invest in high-factor lotions.

Spokeswoman Laura Wilson said: “In Scotland we have higher rates of melanoma than in Australia. Scots tend to think they do not need to use sun creams at home, but people must respect the sun at all times and make sure they use a recommended sun cream.”