Old men always used to tell me that summers were much better in their childhood.

Now that I am of bus pass age myself I can confidently tell youngsters they were much worse although they sometimes look at me in disbelief.

Consider this. Anyone over 45 can reel off a list of great summers long ago such as 1959 and 1976. Their own parents and grandparents might have recalled 1911, 1921 and 1947.

But ask people now for the good summers of the recent past and they cannot remember. That's not because there haven't been any but because they have nearly all been pretty fine.

There have been some exceptionally hot spells in years such as 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990 and 1995. But even the bad times were good. A lot of people complained that the last two summers were not up to much but expert Philip Eden says they were better than any summer in the Sixties.

Ken Woodhams, weather recorder for The Argus, regularly reports that summer months are warmer than the long-term average.

Last June, a month dismissed by my youngest daughter as not being part of a proper summer, was the hottest locally and nationally since 1976. As I sit here sweltering writing this, I can see July beating some more records.

People complain that the sea off Sussex is cold even in summer. But it's warmer than it used to be. I can recall years when it never rose above 17C but this year that figure was surpassed by mid-June and is still rising.

During the last two Septembers, the sea stayed at the unprecedented level of 19C until the end of the month.

This change in climate is helping to change English habits and generally for the better. Whereas I can remember playing on the beach at sodden Sussex resorts in the Fifties wearing full winter gear there is not often the need for that these days.

Instead, the predominant image of Brighton and many other resorts during the summer is of people crowding on to the beach in their light, comfortable clothes while thousands enjoy a continental cafe lifestyle sitting outside, sipping coffee.

If you look at pictures of Sussex resorts taken 50 years ago on rare fine days when the crowds came there, they look overdressed and uncomfortable.

Shorts were usually only worn by oddities like cyclists and Scout masters. Even until recently, there were few places where one could sit out and enjoy a view of what people came for - the sea and the beach.

What is the point of jetting off to Spain or Greece at this time of year when there is a good chance that the weather will be fine in Britain? I can see every incentive to chase the sun in the winter but not now.

There are already signs that families who deserted the British seaside resorts so spectacularly from the Sixties onwards are rediscovering the latent charms of places such as Bognor, Bexhill and Bracklesham Bay; better latent than never.

People who moan about everything complain about the humidity, hay fever, insects, weever fish, pollution, traffic jams, noise and other problems that inevitably accompany hot weather in busy seaside resorts.

But would they really prefer the traditional gale force winds and driving rain of an old-fashioned English summer? I suspect not.

Whether the change has been caused by global warming or natural climatic shifts, I welcome our long hot summers. And remember, today's cooler weather is just a blip!