Warm weekend ahead for Halloween revellers in Shropshire

Friday will be the warmest day with the mercury rising six degrees above the average for this time of year, according to the Met Office.

The weather will stay warm throughout the weekend, which will be good news for the county's Halloween and bonfire celebrations.

Meteorologist Mark Wilson said: "The average temperature for the end of October going into November is about 13 degrees for Shropshire, so there will be a six-degree increase this weekend.

"Averages for the start of November can sometimes drop to 10 degrees so there has been quite a big increase. Friday is looking decent across the whole of Shropshire and will remain very mild for this time of year. We could be looking at highs of 18 to 19 degrees in some places and it looks like staying a dry day.

"The temperature will drop slightly on Saturday, reaching 15 degrees but there could be the odd risk of showers. The risk will increase further on Sunday and the weather will start to feel fresher, with highs of 14 degrees."

He added: "The weekend will be unseasonably mild but we can't really put it down to anything in particular because we do get milder and colder periods sometimes."

Ian George, from Bridgnorth Rugby Club, said he hoped the good weather would see a large turnout for the club's annual bonfire and fireworks display. Last year the event attracted more than 3,500 people, with thousands more watching the display in Severn Park from vantage points throughout the town.

He said: "We're hoping for good weather this year and it looks like it'll be pretty mild, which always helps. We'll have two displays on Saturday and if the rain does hold off we could get our biggest crowd to date."

Fabulous weather in 2014 also meant this year's strawberry crop has broken all records, with 60,170 tonnes already produced, an increase of eight per cent since 2013 across Britain, and more still to come.

The season started in March, seven weeks earlier than last year. And growers expect the season to continue into December. This year's record crop will have then run for around 38 weeks.

Pam Wills, who runs Grange farm in Hilton, near Bridgnorth, said: "We've had a good turnout for people picking their own fruit. It's been a good year."