Holidaymakers are warned not to play with seals as tourists flock to seaside resorts - but the real heatwave isn't coming until the weekend 

Britons were today warned not to play with seals at the seaside amid fears they could 'take a child's arm off.'

Notices warning the public not to feed or play with seals have been posted at St Ives in Cornwall by the town's harbour master Steve Bassett after tourists have been increasingly spotted swimming with the mammals.

It comes as forecasters revealed summer will be well and truly back in Britain later this week and is set to stick around for a while - but we'll have to brave some bad weather first.

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Holidaymakers in St Ives have been warned to keep away from wild seals amid concerns they 'could take a child's arm off'

Notices warning the public not to feed or play with seals have been posted at St Ives in Cornwall by the town's harbour master

Tourists have been increasingly spotted swimming with the marine mammals at St Ives in Cornwall

Forecast: The sun will continue to shine over Britain this week, but temperatures are set to drop due to a north westerly wind

High winds and chilly temperatures will hit the country over the next few days, with weather warnings issues in Scotland as gusts of up to 60mph are predicted.

According to experts the drop will be due to a north westerly wind coming in, before a build up of high pressure later in the week brings a much needed boost.

Regarding the seal warning, Mr Bassett said: ‘I'm afraid that someday someone will lose an arm. If seals are both going for territory they can be extremely aggressive. 

'And when a hand comes out towards them they will thinks that's food.’  He said that the number of people swimming with the seals had increased to a point where he needed to put out the warning signs.

He added: ‘God forbid something should happen, but one day a seal is going to feel trapped and bite back. Seals are massive and the power they have in their jaws is unbelievable.’

Mr Bassett said seals were being drawn to the harbour by the prospect of food.

Summertime: A bikini-clad woman raises her arms in the air as she looks out to sea in Brighton today

Two men enjoy the weather on Brighton seafront in East Sussex this morning as they splash about in the water

A woman walks her dog along Brighton seafront this morning as the third week of the school summer holidays gets underway

Seal expert Gill Bell, head of conservation at the Marine Conservation Society in Wales, said wild creatures should not be interfered with.

He added: ‘You would not allow a child to approach a wild dog with food, so why allow them to approach a seal? Seals are like toddlers, they will put anything in their mouth.’

She added that seals carried diseases which were highly infectious to humans so even a small bite could cause serious harm.

‘You should never swim over to where they are because that's when you get issues,’ she said. ‘The main concern is that they could misinterpret an action as a supposed threat.

‘They are very gorgeous to look at and that's what we should be doing, looking at them and not getting close to them.’

St Ives is home to a 40-strong seal colony which lives on rocks just a few miles from the resort.

Two people enjoy some space as they sit on the beach and look out to see at Brighton in East Sussex this morning

Getting into the Olympic spirit: A group of men and women play volleyball on the beach in Brighton today

Taking some time out: A man and woman rest on the pebbles on Brighton seafront in East Sussex today

There had been suggestions the Britain would enjoy a two-week period of glorious sunshine with temperatures reaching 34C.

But although the Met Office cannot rule that out, their forecasters believe the rain will return sooner than previously expected.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: 'As we start the new week there is going to be quite a drop in temperature across the south due to this north westerly wind.

'It will feel much fresher. The weather will still be pretty fine but it will be very windy, especially across much of Scotland. 

'Moving into midweek the south will stay dry but there will be a greater risk of rain up north, and we could be in for some very chilly nights.'

Things are looking up: The maximum predicted temperatures midway through next week on Wednesday August, 17

Hundreds of blue jellyfish have been spotted on beaches across West Wales brought in by warm waters from the Atlantic

The Velella jellyfish spotted at Bullslaughter Bay near Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire float partly above the water

The spokesman added: 'From Friday there are suggestions we will see some high pressure across the UK which will bring some very warm temperatures and some good sunshine. 

'But it does look at this point that it will only last until the start of the next week. 

'There's nothing to suggest we will be in for a two-week heatwave at the moment. We can't rule it out, but it's unlikely.

Children enjoy flying a kite in blue skies in a south Tyneside meadow, pictured yesterday, as they make the most of the sun

Strong winds also made for good kite surfing conditions in the Solent off Hill Head in Hampshire, pictured yesterday

Families were out and about in Hyde Park, pictured yesterday, as some stopped to feed the pigeons near the Serpentine

They also took to paddle boating in Hyde Park, pictured yesterday, with parents looking for enjoyable activities with their children during the school holidays

There were plenty of people sunbathing or relaxing in deck chairs in the London park yesterday as temperatures hit the mid 20s

'In fact, it looks like we could return to some more unsettled weather after that week.' 

It comes as much of the country enjoyed fine weather yesterday, with many families heading out to parks to make the most of the sunshine.

Others enjoyed a relaxing sunbathe or headed to the beach to try their hands at windsurfing and water sports, with the wind making for good conditions. 

Sunshine glistened off the water in Hyde Park making for a chilled out Sunday before returning to the working week

The sunny weather, pictured in Hyde Park yesterday, is set to continue this week in the south, but many in the north will face rain and strong winds

From this coming Friday there will likely be more people in the park, left and right, as Britain is set for a week-long heatwave

This North-South divide is not unusual. Britain experienced a heatwave in July, but it was marred by wet weather in the North while the South enjoyed high temperatures. 

In 2013, researchers said Britain’s North-South divide even applies to the rate of climate change.

Scientists from the University of Warwick and the London School of Economics used weather data stretching back to 1950 to show that summer temperatures had increased more quickly in the South than the North.

However, the frequency of nights which fall below zero has decreased most substantially in the North East.

Dr David Stainforth, the lead author of the paper, said: ‘In Britain, climate change will feel very different if you live in Northumbria to if you live in Oxfordshire – different again in Devon.’

COWS TAKE A DIP IN THE CANAL... BEFORE BEING HERDED BACK TO DRY LAND

Cows were herded back onto dry land after they decided to take a dip in the water during the hot weather.

Water rescue firefighters use a boat to herd the cattle back onto dry land at the Shropshire Union Canal.

The crews descended on Market Drayton after the cows broke free from their field to cool off in the canal.

It took the firefighters over an hour to bring the cattle back to their field last night. No cows were harmed.

Water rescue firefighters use a boat to herd the cattle back onto dry land at the Shropshire Union Canal

The crews descended on Market Drayton after the cows broke free from their field to cool off in the canal

It took the firefighters over an hour to bring the cattle back to their field last night. No cows were harmed