SUNNY weather has brought parks and green spaces to life as Bolton’s temperatures top those in Barcelona.

Temperatures have reached 21C (70F), compared to only 10C (50F) last year, according to the Met Office.

Youngsters from Thomasson Memorial School enjoyed a visit to Smithills Open Farm, where they had the chance to hold some new lambs.

At Farnworth Park, the daffodils are out in force and eight-month-old Connor Hutton enjoyed a close up look at them in the bright sunshine.

In Moses Gate Country Park, people enjoyed a stroll or sat overlooking the lake in the glorious sunshine, while workers in the town centre soaked up the sun in Victoria Square.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Weather during the final week of March last year was generally fine and dry, but the temperatures were much lower. The warmest temperatures then were in the high teens.”

The good weather is set to continue for much of this week and has broken records in some parts of the UK.

A temperature of 22.8C (73F) — the highest in the UK — was recorded on Sunday in Aberdeenshire beating the previous March high of 22.2C in 1965, the Met Office said.

The UK has been warmer than on the continent, including Barcelona, Nice, Majorca and Faro in Portugal.

But other parts of England have been much cooler, especially in the South East with temperatures down at 6C (42F) in East Anglia and Kent.

The warm, dry weather elsewhere is also set to continue for this week.

Temperatures are to remain high before falling to a more seasonal average of 11 to 12C by the weekend, from an average of 17 to 18C enjoyed over last weekend.