Hitchin is set to bake in temperatures hotter than Ibiza later this week.

With August firmly upon us, the spells of heavy rain we experienced in July is already a distant memory with heatwave highs expected in our town on Friday.

The mercury is expected to hit a scorching 35C at the end of the working week – far hotter than the 27C expected on the Balearic holiday isle.

As we move into the weekend, Saturday will sunny and a pleasant 26C, with Sunday, partly cloudy with temperatures of around 24C.

The Met Office said: "It will be turning very warm and sunny later this week."

If you are heading out in the sun this week, don't forget to apply a high faction sun lotion to protect your skin – and stay hydrated.

If you're set to walk around Oughtonhead Nature Reserve you're advised to take bottles of water with you.

Why not mark the heatwave with an ice cream from Fabio's Gelato? Here's our feature piece on Hitchin's go-to gelato shop

If you're flocking to town to enjoy the sun and fancy a bit to eat from one of our wonderful restaurants and outlets, here's our in-depth article on Chicken George and the man behind their success.

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