A few were brave enough to go for a swim

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As temperatures reached 20ºC in some parts of the Balearics yesterday, hundreds of tourists were making the most of the winter sun, heading back to the beach for the second day running. With still the best part of a month to go before Spring, on Sunday in Palma Nova and other resorts which have stayed open over the winter, it was more like the first few days of the summer season with people stretched out on sun beds, playing beach football or just lounging in the sun enjoying a picnic. Those British tourists who have fled a wet, chilly and in some parts, flooded Great Britain, were over the moon with the good weather. But while they are sunning themselves in the Balearics, in the UK there have been weather-fuelled warnings that malaria could return to large parts of the UK in 50 years' time as a result of massive climate changes, a Government report says. Parts of Essex, Kent and Norfolk could become increasingly vulnerable to outbreaks of the deadly disease as temperatures rise. Higher temperatures will increase rates of mosquito development, while predicted increases in winter rainfall will provide them with ideal breeding conditions . The study from the Expert Group on Climate Change and Health said global climate changes could result in popular tourist destinations, such as Turkey, becoming increasingly tropical and vulnerable to more deadly forms of the disease. Other insect–borne diseases such as the tropical West Nile Fever could also be seen in the UK. Average temperatures in the UK are expected to rise by up to 2.3 degrees Celsius, with the country experiencing hotter, drier summers and more intense heatwaves. At the moment, heatwaves such as the one in 1976 can be expected once in every 350 years. By 2050, we could be experiencing one every five to six years.