SHOPS and businesses are hoping for a successful summer following a bumper weekend.

Good weather and the Brighton Marathon saw tens of thousands of visitors flock to the city ready to soak up the atmosphere and sunshine.

People were out in force on the beach and visiting bars, restaurants and stores throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, four-year-old Pearl Reeves frolicked among white anemones in Arlington Wood, near Hailsham.

More good weather is predicted for this week, with temperatures expected to rise to 20C tomorrow.

With the Met Office predicting warmer than average temperatures for April, May and June, it is hoped 2015 could be a boom year for Brighton and Hove and across the county.

Brighton Business Improvement District manager Gavin Stewart said: “Brighton and Hove lives or dies by its tourism with about 10 million visits a year to the city.

“After the Christmas rush there is always a lull and so when we get to this time of year people are looking for the good weather.

“The good weekend we have had and the forecast ahead can only be good news for the city. We are now keeping fingers crossed it is going to be a good year.”

Michele Chilton, an assistant at the Castor and Pollux Gallery on Brighton seafront said: “Weather like this where it is bright and sunny and a little bit of wind is perfect for us because it means a lot of people are out and about and moving around.

“I’m told we had a good weekend with a lot more visitors around. At about Easter time the seafront starts to get busier with more shops opening up and you get a real buzz.”

Adam Chinnery, owner of Brighton Watersports in King’s Road and member of the Brighton Seafront Traders’ Association, said: “Once the marathon was over we got busy and so it was a good day.

“It is pleasing to hear about the long range forecast but we will wait and see how that pans out. I hope it’s true as businesses here deserve it after the long winter.”

When it gets really hot

THE highest recorded temperature in the UK was in Fashersham, Kent, in 2003, a sizzling 38.5C.

However, London has recorded the highest temperature for April, when it reached 29.4C in 1949, while Horsham has the highest temperature for May, with thermometers hitting 32.8C in 1994.

The hottest June on record was in Southampton during the heatwave of 1976, when temperatures reached 35.6C. On the other end of the scale, the coldest temperature in the UK was in Aberdeenshire in Scotland with a staggering minus 27.2C in 1995.

The coldest April on record was in 1917, when Cumbria could manage no more than minus 15C, while the May record was minus 9.4C in 1941 in Norfolk. Norfolk was unlucky again in June, with the lowest temperature of minus 5.6C recorded in 1962.