Idling car spoils record Scottish temperature

Scotland’s warmest ever temperature has been declared invalid because a car with its engine running was parked too close to a weather station.

Provisional figures from the Met Office had suggested (91.7F) 33.2C was reached at Motherwell on June 28 – but this has been discounted following evidence that a stationary vehicle with its engine running had been waiting near the relevant weather station.

“We cannot rule out the potential for contamination of the measurement by this nonweather-related factor,” the Met Office said. It means the highestever temperature reverts to the 32.9C, set at Greycrook in the Scottish Borders on Aug 9 2003.