Sussex is set for a scorcher this week as temperatures are predicted to soar to the hottest of the year so far.

Parts of the county will feel as hot as Barbados as warm air sweeps north from Spain.

Temperatures will rise from 22C (71.6F) tomorrow up to 25C (77F) on Wednesday and a possible 27C (80.6F) on Thursday, according to the Met Office.

Sussex commuters travelling to London could enjoy temperatures as high as 30C (86F).

Dan Williams from the Met Office said: “Thirty degrees is really the top end of what we are expecting as a whole.

“It is possible that places in Sussex will get up towards 27C.”

Mr Williams said Sussex is likely to see thundery showers by Friday as a result of the humidity and it would stay humid into the start of next week.

The highest recorded temperature in Sussex this year so far was 25.5C (77.9) in Wiggonholt near Pulborough on July 13.

Bognor saw a high of 24.6C (76.28) on June 24.

Gatwick is set for a high of 26C (78.8F) on Thursday, eclipsing temperatures in some parts of southern France.

And according to the website Met Check, parts of Brighton could feel hotter than the 28C (82.4F) forecast for the Caribbean island of Barbados on Thursday.

A spokesman for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We have a Heatwave Plan to ensure we are prepared for any extreme temperatures during summer.

“The plan includes an escalation policy, which has different actions depending on how hot the temperature becomes.”

It is down to local authorities to issue preventative public health advice.

Tom Scanlon, Brighton and Hove City Council’s director of public health, said: “There are visitors who are particularly at risk in hot weather: older people, children and those with particular health conditions.

“At this time of year we take particular care over vulnerable people.

“Similarly, we work with care homes where elderly residents are at risk.

“Every year we see children and babies who suffer from sunburn, so the main message is take care, and take particular care of those who need it most.”

The council is advising people to keep hydrated by drinking non-alcoholic drinks and staying in the shade.

*Wiggonholt temperature date changed to July 13 from January 13 - edited July 15 at 1.15pm