IT'S time to ditch the umbrellas and break out the sun cream, with temperatures expected to soar in Oxfordshire later this week.

A mini heatwave is expected to hit the county from Wednesday with temperatures reaching up to 22 degrees on Thursday, with the balmy weather expected to at last at least until the weekend.

But you'll have to wait another couple of days for the really warm weather to sweep in. 

Today and tomorrow will be dry with sunshine, but temperatures are unlikely to go above 16C.

The warm spell is expected to peak on Thursday with temperatures forecast to exceed those seen in Barcelona, and could top 22C.

It is likely to become more unsettled moving into next week, however, with the long range forecast predicting showers and even thunderstorms across the south of England.