IT was billed as a saviour of what is left of summer for some parts of Britain but Hurricane Gert's remains did not quite make the centigrade.

The blast of tropical air expected to warm southern parts of the UK did not manage to hit the forecast temperatures of up to 27C (80.6F) in the south-east on Tuesday, peaking at 25.3C (77.5F) in Bude, Cornwall, the Met Office said.

Hopes of the highest temperatures since mid-July did not materialise as cloud cover across much of the country ensured the mercury only reached its highest since August 17, when it was 25.4C (77.7F) in Cavendish, Suffolk.

Temperatures will only reach a forecast 19C in Swindon and Devizes today and tomorrow, rising to 21C at the weekend while it is forecast to be a degree warmer in Chippenham and Trowbridge.

Forecaster Rachael Adshead said the low temperatures was caused by the lack of prolonged sunny spells, even though it was humid and warm.

"For most people, temperatures have not been dramatic," she said.

"There's just been a bit more cloud around than we were expecting. Nowhere has seen the sunshine for long enough.

"We needed somewhere to see the sun for a long time and it just did not happen."

Today will see a change to more cooler temperatures as the remnants of the category two hurricane are pushed away by a new weather front, Ms Adshead said.

"We are going to start to lose some of that warm, humid air but we potentially could see highs of 24C or 25C in the far east of England, possibly Kent, Norfolk or Suffolk," she said.

"Elsewhere it will be turning fresher from the outset as the warm air moves to the east."