Data from the Met Office has revealed that a Monmouthshire town is the warmest place in Wales, consistently recording the highest temperatures of any town in the country.

The station where the data is recorded in Usk is also the nearest available data for Abergavenny and much of Monmouthshire itself, so most of the county could have a claim to say they live in the warmest place in Wales.

Located on the River Usk and spanning across an historic stone bridge that leads into the town from the west, the residential population of less than 2,500 enjoy the higher average temperatures than the capital city and the top Welsh tourist destinations.

The castle looks down on the town and the Usk in Bloom Committee are gearing up, once again, to welcome judges from the Wales in Bloom Competition as the gates to the Usk Open Gardens are thrown open this weekend.

In a place where even a few degrees can make the biggest difference to the temperature, the residents of the ‘flower town’ bask in the average maximum temperature of 15.16 degrees celsius.

The data makes sense, as Usk is situated inland and nestled in its namesake valley and sheltered from the breeze that come people on higher ground might encounter.

The nearest local comparisons are in Hereford, where the maximum average temperature recorded within the last ten years is 14.49 degrees, while Ross-on-Wye comes in with a yearly average of 14.47 degrees celsius and Tredegar, in Blaenau Gwent, sits at 12.73 degrees celsius.

Such a mild climate could be one of the reasons the town was voted as the top place to live in Wales by The Sunday Times in 2021.

The warm weather looks set to carry on through the summer, with temperatures set to reach 28 degrees once again next week.