THE Christmas lights may be going up — but we’re certainly not in the midst of a winter wonderland.

As the town prepares for the usually chilly run up to Christmas, Bolton is set to be hit with a mini heatwave.

The Met Office predicts that temperatures will be hitting 16 or 17 degrees C — well above the seasonal average of 12 degrees for this time of year.

The Christmas lights will help add a bit of seasonal sparkle when they are dressed around the town centre, and the huge slide, giant ferris wheel and ice rink will also add to the excitement.

The country enjoyed a warm, dry September — but October has quickly brought the realisation that Christmas is around the corner.

But the Met Office has said that this will not be before Bolton has enjoyed some surprise sunshine, and showers, before the weekend.

The Met Office spokesperson Laura Young said: “It’s too early to be talking about Christmas but it’s looking like Bolton will enjoy highs of up to 17 degrees on Friday, which is warm for this time of year.

“Towards the end of the week it is a north-south divide weather-wise — but the opposite way than you might think. An area of low pressure will start to drag some warm air up from the Atlantic, unfortunately it is warm and moist, meaning rain. But some parts of the UK will escape it. There might be some showers but Bolton will also see some sunshine.”

A spokesman for Bolton Council said the expected heatwave will not affect the borough’s festive preparations.

He added: “While an unseasonable warm spell is being predicted, we’ve still got to get the town ready for Christmas.

“We usually start putting up the lights in the town centre around now, as we have lots to get through in time for the switch-on on November 20.

“We’ve got lots of festive entertainment in our Christmas programm and we are doing everything we can to support our town centre retailers.”