HEAVY rain and thunderstorms could dash the hopes of England fans who had planned to enjoy the weekend’s Euro clash while basking in July sunshine.

While the UK is set to enjoy a 23C spell of heat tomorrow, rain is forecast for much of the country – including Brighton – on Saturday.

The wet and rainy forecaThst could not be further from the scorching 32 degree conditions the Three Lions are set to play in against Ukraine at Rome’s Stadio Olympico.

According to the Met Office, showery rain will move in from the east and will reach Brighton by early morning.

Scattered heavy showers, which could be thundery in places, will then start to develop in the afternoon.

However, the forecasters have offered a glimmer of hope, as temperatures look set to remain warm and could reach a maximum of 22 degrees centigrade.

The rainy start to July has continued the trend of wet but humid weather much of the country experienced last month.

But the Met Office has said that despite the downpours, June was warmer and sunnier than average.

From the middle of June, the weather became more unsettled and often stormy with southern areas, particularly the southeast, seeing the heaviest rain.

London had double the amount of rain it would normally expect in June at 97.1 millimetres, while parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had more than three times their average rainfall for the month.

The Met Office said that England had 77 per cent of its average rainfall for the month at 47.8 millimetres, but this was mainly due to the south seeing 105 per cent of its monthly average rainfall – 59.4 millimetres.

But the Met Office said despite the above-average rainfall, the number of wet days in south-east England was close to the average, while northern England, Wales and Scotland had fewer days of rain than expected.

Hours of sunshine across the UK were close to or above average for most regions, the Met Office said, with a few duller areas in the west.