SCOTLAND is set to be warmer than Greece next week as forecasters told a relieved nation winter is finally over.

Mediterranean temperatures are expected to hit many parts of the UK, as an influx of warm continental air could make the Beast from the East and the recent downpours a not-too distant memory.

Glasgow could be 17 or 18 degrees centigrade by Wednesday, Edinburgh should hit 17 degrees too while Inverness and Oban will both reach 18 degrees on Thursday.

Meanwhile in parts of south east England temperatures could reach the mid-20s - on a par with Rome and the Costa Del Sol.

The Met Office says thermometers will climb throughout the week with temperatures expected to be up to 10 degrees above the norm for the middle of April.

However forecasters warned that fronts from the Atlantic, battling to move in from the west, will mean some areas of western Scotland could see more showery weather later in the week .

Met Office meteorologist Sarah Kent said this tussle between the warm air from the south and the wet weather in the west – which will bring rain to most places on Sunday – will finally be won by the continental influence on Monday.

She said temperatures in the south-east could hit 15 or 16C at the start of the working week.

Ms Kent said: “By Tuesday across London we could see 18C, maybe 19C. By Wednesday, there’s still going to be some patchy rain in parts of the north-west but England and Wales will have this continental air coming in. So, dry weather for them, plenty of sunshine again. “

“Temperatures on Wednesday will again be highest in the south-east. London could see between 20C and 23C. And in fact, going further north, places like York could see 18C to 20c. And, even for Glasgow, it could be 17C or 18C on Wednesday.”

Ms Kent said: “The trend into the end of the week is to continue this feed of warmer continental air. Those frontal systems are always trying to battle into the north-west, so it could be cloudier there with some more mixed weather at times.

“But, by the end of the week, in the that far south-eastern corner we could see temperatures into the low to mid-20s.”

While it has been a long wait for spring, the temperatures will not merely return to normal in many areas they will be well above the average for mid April.

This coming weekend, the Met Office said Saturday is likely to be the best day, with temperatures reaching the mid to high teens in some places, although a modest 12-13 degrees is more likely for much of Scotland.

But Sunday will see rain at times across much of Britain as the country braces itself for the sun to come.

European forecasters are predicting temperatures in the low 20s for Malaga, Rome and Athens next week.

The lengthy winter, exacerbated by two waves of snow caused by the “Beast from the East” had led to warnings that spring would be the coldest in Scotland for 39 years. Amid yellow snow warnings, and claims that spring had been “postponed”, the Met Office suggested cold snaps could extend into June.

The cold weather has seen the Scottish Government set aside an additional £10m to help cope with damage caused to the roads by the freezing conditions, and warnings that a cold wet spring could see a third successive year of decline for Scotland’s butterflies.

Meanwhile Britain’s garden centres have also been affected by the bad weather, with sales at their worst levels for at least five years.

So far this year, average underlying sales are down 15% to 20%, with the early Easter proving a washout, according to the Garden Centre Association.

The construction industry has also been badly affected, as the weather postponed many building projects and pubs have also complained that trade has been hit, while farmers have have warned potato yields will be affected as an already short season is shortened further.

Scotland’s ski season however has been one of the best in years, with all the main resorts expecting able to extend the season as late as June, thanks to good snow cover.