Ah, the sun... we could be back in Africa! Even the lemurs enjoy the rays as mercury hits 25C and heatwave is set to continue. . . but there will be a few showers too Temperatures to reach 25C (77F) in London and the South today despite scattered showers this morning Cold weather allowed 2013 crop to grow much slower and develop more succulent flavour, industry experts say Dorset country estate celebrates 'once-in-a-lifetime' flowering of all their rhododendrons after spell of warm weather By Emily Davies and Simon Tomlinson They are used to the searing heat of Madagascar, so it was little wonder these ring-tailed lemurs were making the most of the glorious weather yesterday. The animals sat back on decking at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay and put their faces to the sun as they soaked up the rays in temperatures approaching 77f (25c). The good news for them - and us - is that the heatwave is expected to continue for much of Britain. Scotland, too, basked in glorious sunshine yesterday and temperatures in London and Glasgow were similar, with highs of 71f (22c). The dry weather, however, has not been without its problems. Firefighters were yesterday investigating the cause of a blaze that destroyed 20 acres of Ashdown Forest, near Wych Cross in East Sussex. Eighty firefighters were needed to bring the fire under control after it broke out on Wednesday. Before and after: Firefighters were investigating the cause of a blaze that destroyed 20 acres of Ashdown Forest, near Wych Cross in East Sussex The sunshine is set to persist today and throughout the weekend, forecasters predict, with Scotland's West Coast seeing the best of the weather. Despite waking to showers today, Londoners were expected to enjoy temperatures of 25C when the dark clouds move on through the morning. The mercury will hit 73f (23c) in the West today, while Aberdeen will see highs of 66f (19c). Met Office forecaster Emma Corrigan said: 'Most places today will be dry and fine. There are some scattered showers across London through to Southampton and the Isle of Wight, but these will move westwards. We had 25C yesterday and we are quite likely to see 25C again today. We should see 23-24C in south Wales and 22C in The Midlands. Other showers will develop in Devon, Cornwall and South Wales later this morning and this afternoon, but these should ease tonight and will stay clear tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday were not expected to be quite as hot, but will remain largely dry and sunny, she added. The UK's warm weather is expected to end next week, with showers predicted by Monday. Meanwhile, the late summer has produced the best-ever crop of British strawberries which are 40 per cent sweeter than normal, industry experts claimed. People flocked to beaches, including this one on the Isle Of Wight near Ryde, where the temperatures reached as high as 25C We do like to be beside the seaside: Alan and Chris Kemp, both residents in Ryde, Isle Of Wight enjoyed one of the hottest days of the year on the beach All aboard! Aleisha-Mai cooled off in the sea, hanging out in her brightly coloured inflatable boat on the beach near Ryde, Isle Of Wight Students played in the warm sea near Ryde, Isle Of Wight, as the nation basked in the warm weather Students Steph Pethick, 20 and Catherine Humphries, 19 enjoyed some lunchtime sunshine at the Royal Crescent, Bath People enjoy a water fountain in London's Southbank as Britain finally enjoys some warm June weather following one of the coldest winters and Springs in years Magda Tatar walks through a field of rape seed in Naul, Co Dublin, as temperatures continue to rise across the country