WINTER temperatures in Oxfordshire hit record levels last year, new data from the Met Office has revealed.

The UK experiences its mildest December in at least 350 years and was also wetter than average.

The Met Office said Oxfordshire was one of 23 counties and historic counties where temperatures hit an average of 10C or above in the last month of 2015.

Temperatures in Oxfordshire averaged out as 10.1C for December compared to the normal UK average of 7.9C.

The warmest average temperature was recorded in Middlesex where it was 11.1C.

Oxfordshire also had one of the biggest temperature increase compared to the average December temperature recorded between 1981 and 2010 with an increase of 5.8C.

This was the joint highest increase along with Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

Across Britain December 2015 was the wettest calendar month stretching back to 1910, although rainfall was not exceptional in Oxfordshire.

It was also the warmest December in central England since 1659.

National Climate Information Centre head Dr Mark McCarthy said: "The weather during 2015 contained many notable features and Iā€™m sure that everyone will have a personal memory of a weather moment during the year.

"The Central England Temperature for December 2015 differs from long-term averages by more than 5C ā€“ by far the greatest positive anomaly of any month in the central England temperature record since the series began in 1659."

But it was not all bad news in 2015 with the country experiencing the sunniest April on record.