FORGET the Mediterranean sunseekers found their own heatwave paradise yesterday as the country heads towards the hottest weekend of the year so far.

Swimmers flocked to the outdoor pool at the David Lloyds Centre in Chorley Street to cool down, with thermometers hitting 22C.

And the sun looks here to stay with temperatures expected to hit 25C on Saturday and hot weather predicted for the beginning of next week.

Parks, pubs, and shops are all reporting an increase in customers and visitors and shops say they have seen a surge in the sales of sun cream and deodorant.

Temperatures recorded in Bolton town centre yesterday matched those in Rio De Janerio and Buenos Aires.

Mel Kowalczuk, of the David Lloyd centre, said there had been a large rise in the number of people using the outdoor pool.

She said: "We have probably seen about a 50 per cent increase in the numbers using the pool over recent days.

"Young and old seem to be enjoying the pool at the moment."

There is still a little way to go before the highest ever recorded temperature for the town is reached. On August 3, 1990, the Met Office recorded a sweltering 32.1 degrees at a weather station in Bolton.

But weather expert Graham Fullerton, a meteorologist who also works at the Royal Bolton Hospital, is confident the warm weather will last, for now anyway.

He said: "It looks as though the hottest day will be on Sunday when we could reach the low eighties but it should last well into next week."

Mr Fullerton said the warmth was because of warm winds blowing in from Spain and that there was a chance that it could continue throughout the summer months.

He said: "June looks as though it will be a good month. It is a little too early to say, but the rest of the summer also looks reasonable."

Mr Fullerton, also warned that the good weather could lead to a rise in emergency admissions to the Royal Bolton Hospital of anything up to 10 per cent because of injuries and illnesses caused by the heat. The fire service are also urging people to be careful.

Jim Cosgrove, a community safety officer at Bolton Fire Station said firefighters will be going out to local schools to talk to teenagers about the dangers of swimming in open water.

One thing that people will not want to forget though is some sun cream. Phil Mayrem, store manager of Superdrug on Deansgate, said they have seen a big increase in sales of sun cream and deodorants over the last week.