The first official summer temperature of the year was recorded at the De Bilt weather station on Tuesday.

By noon, the temperature had reached 25 degrees Celsius and was expected to rise a further one to two degrees during the afternoon, the KNMI weather bureau said.

Summer weather covered the whole of the Netherlands, except for the southern province of Zeeland and the northern province of Friesland where temperatures remained at around 22 degrees Celsius.

However, the KNMI is warning of thunderstorms later, particularly in western areas. These will be accompanied by heavy rain, hail and strong gusts of wind.