WORCESTER is one of the warmest cities in the UK, according to new analysis of Met Office data.

Freeflush, a manufacturer of rainwater harvesting systems, looked at data from the Met Office over a period of more than 30 years, between 1981 and 2015.

Using the data a survey of national cities was drawn up, ranking each one nationally by warmth using a single combined metric based on maximum average temperature, dry days and total rainfall.

Worcester has came fourth in the temperature hit parade, only behind London, Cambridge and Chelmsford.

The figures showed that the city enjoys an average daily maximum temperature of 14.5C, only less than a degree under London’s 15.3C at the very top of the scale.

Worcester is also pretty dry on average, getting 606mm of rain a year and enjoying 257 dry days - defined as 1mm or less of rain - a year.

In comparison Glasgow has the dubious honour of being the coldest and wettest city in the UK, with a maximum average temperature of just 12.2C, and having just 195 dry days and 1,124 mm of rainfall falling annually.

Malvern weatherman Frank Hill said: “My figures are about the same, an average of 14.6C between 1981 and 2010.

“Of course, very high temperatures, around 36C, can boost an overall average for a year.

“I wouldn’t move out of Worcestershire to anywhere for the weather.

“We are in the middle of the country so we are sheltered from cold winds.

“The extreme heat from the continent hits London and the south east first, before reaching here.

“The west, Cornwall and Dorset are too wet, Yorkshire as well.

“We don’t get the extremes other places get - we are reasonable warm here.”

The results have been released just as the temperatures are again on the rise.

The warmest day of the year came last week when the mercury hit 19C on Wednesday.

Although temperatures dropped over the weekend they are predicted to again rise this week by city-based forecaster Net Weather.