A CEREDIGION village was among the sunniest destinations in the UK this summer, according to the Met Office, recording an average of 7.6 hours of sunshine a day between 1 June and 19 August.

Aberporth was among coastal resorts which benefited from an increase in the number of people taking UK holidays, compared to 2017, with almost a third (30 per cent) taking up to two last-minute breaks in the UK already in 2018.

“One of the main reasons respondents said they holidayed abroad was for the sunny weather,” said Helen Chivers, head of news and social media at the Met Office.

“However, this year the summer is shaping up as one of the warmest on record for the UK, which seems to be why more people are taking last-minute trips and choosing staycations over vacations.

“This summer’s heatwave conditions have been down to a number of factors, one of the main ones being the position and strength of the jet stream.

“This allowed high pressure to dominate the UK weather leading to very warm, dry and sunny conditions; perfect for a holiday at home.”

After the third-warmest June and second-warmest July in the Met Office’s official national records dating back to 1910, this year is currently vying with the current record holder, 2006, as the warmest summer on record for mean temperature (which includes both day and night temperatures).

Even if temperatures are around or below average for the last week of the meteorological summer, this year is likely to finish in the top five.