YORK is set to be milder than Venice, Athens and Istanbul by Friday as temperatures soar.

High pressure over France is set to bring mild southerly winds and springlike conditions across the UK over the next few days, with plenty of dry and sunny weather.

BBC Weather in association with MeteoGroup expects the maximum temperature in York to reach 11C on Thursday and 13C on Friday and Saturday, and remain above 10C for the whole of next week.

The forecasters are predicting 10C in Athens on Friday, 7C in Istanbul and 9C in Venice.

The Met Office is forecasting slightly lower temperatures in York, expecting a maximum of 9C on Friday and 11C on Saturday.

The milder weather comes after the recent cold snap but follows the pattern set for most of the winter for milder than average weather, which has seen some trees already beginning to blossom.