Life's a beach as December temperatures soar

The water may have been “cold” and “fresh” on Friday but people on Sliema’s beaches described how good it felt to be swimming in December, as they welcomed the unseasonally warm weather. 
As mainland Europe comes out of an arctic chill, the island has experienced warm temperatures throughout the week, with a maximum of 22.6 degrees Celsius on Friday.

A spokesperson from the Meteorological Office said warm air was flowing from the Sahara towards the central Mediterranean.
The mercury reflected this, with 20.2 degrees Celsius reported on Monday followed by 19.9 degrees on Tuesday, 21.2 degrees on Wednesday and 22.3 degrees on Thursday.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Friday could have become the warmest December day in 60 years but the temperature did not quite reach that level. The official highest temperature for December recorded by the Met office was 24.3°C in 1963.
'The water is so refreshing'
Still, under a cloudless sky, eager bathers were at the seaside hoping to top up their faded summer tan. They were rewarded with calm sea on the east coast.
“I was in Amsterdam a few days ago, freezing,” Luis Sanchez from Venezuela said after taking a dip at Exiles.

“The water...