CITY council chiefs have issued a warning with the south set to bask in a mini-heatwave.

Weather experts say temperatures are set to rise over the next three days, with highs of 25C on Friday.

It comes as the Met Office issued a Level 2 heat warning for the south-east, lasting from 6am on Thursday until 6pm on Saturday.

A heatwave is an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.

The warning advises people who plan to go outdoors to take precautions to protect themselves from the sun and has been shared by Southampton City Council.

In a tweet, the authority said: "We would like to remind residents that the best thing to do in heatwave is to stay out of the heat, especially between 11am and 3pm."

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: “It’s going to get hot and humid for some from Wednesday, with the highest temperatures expected across southern and western parts of the UK.

“Not everywhere will see the high temperatures, however, as an easterly breeze will keep North Sea coasts much cooler.

“By the time we get to Saturday, however, North Sea coasts will join much of the rest of eastern UK in seeing temperatures of 27 to 32 Celsius.

“Heatwave thresholds will, therefore, be met across some parts of the UK later this week and into the weekend.”

The sudden heatwave comes at the end of what is predicted to be one of the wettest Junes on record – which included a number of downpours and localised flooding.

Currently, the wettest June on record was 2012.

Last year was the joint hottest summer on record for the UK as a whole, and the hottest ever for England, the Met Office announced.

The heatwave saw soaring temperatures across much of the UK throughout June and July.