It was scorching yesterday – but stand by for even warmer temperatures in Essex today as experts predict the region’s hottest day yet.

The hottest place in the country yesterday was Writtle in Essex, where temperatures soared to 28C.

And today’s temperatures could be set to top that.

Chris Bell, forecaster with Weatherquest, said: “There will be quite a bit of sunshine today. It’s certainly going to feel pretty hot. Temperatures in most places will be around 27C and it is even possible we could see a 28C around the Norwich Airport area.

“Today will be hotter than it was yesterday – we had a lot of cloud up here yesterday but today will be a lot clearer.”

Temperatures are set to drop on the weekend, with scattered showers expected across the region.

The previous hottest day of the day in the UK was on June 18 in Fife, Scotland, when the temperature reached 27C.

The south-east saw the majority of the sunshine yesterday, while temperature levels in the “high teens” were recorded in northern England, and Scotland.

The hottest temperature of last year – 34.1C – was recorded at Heathrow on August 1. In 2012, levels reached 32.4C on August 18 in Cavendish, Suffolk, and in 2011, a reading of 33.1C was recorded in Gravesend, Kent, on June 27.