HUNDREDS of people flocked to Bolton's parks to enjoy the warm and sunny Easter weekend.

Families enjoyed picnics and games, while pub beer gardens were packed with drinkers soaking up the sun.

Temperatures reached a balmy 14C over the weekend and experts predict it will get warmer as the week goes on. Thursday is expected to be the hottest day so far this year with a top temperature of 18C.

Alastair James, a local weather expert, said: "I'm not at all surprised by the weather this weekend.

"It's quite common to get a settled spell of weather at this time of year.

"I think it will get warmer towards the end of the week because we're getting well into April and the sun is getting stronger, but at the same time it could still be quite cold at night."

Bolton people were delighted to be enjoying the sunshine.

Alison and Darren Deveney took their children, Morgan, aged five, and two-year-old Ava, to Moss Bank Park for a family picnic.

Mrs Deveney said: "It's a really beautiful day, so we wanted to make the most of it.

"The children are having a great time and it's great for them to be playing outdoors in the sunshine. I'm really pleased the weather has been so fantastic."

Nationally, the unseasonably warm spell sent sunseekers to the coastline. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency rescued several dogs which had fallen from cliffs while walking with their owners. A spokeswoman said calling out the coastguard was always advocated in such situations, but emphasised the need to keep dogs on leads.

Coastguards also stressed that care was needed when using speedboats, after dealing with several capsizing incidents.

Roads were generally trouble-free, according to the Highways Agency, although the AA dealt with 11,000 breakdowns on Thursday.

The British Retail Consortium said "the unofficial start of DIY season" had begun, and the sunny weather led people to home improvement and gardening stores.