SOUTH Essex is set to be hotter than Ibiza tomorrow, with scorching temperatures set to remain over the weekend.

Beachgoers will be out in force along the coast, with Southend set to see an influx of visitors.

Local businesses are also set to profit from the hot weather.

And it appears the hot temperatures are already making an impact.

Denise Field, the managing director of Canvey-based The Bay Café, said: “The hot weather has already affected our business.

“It was absolutely phenomenal yesterday. Normally, it goes quiet during the week but we had so many people coming in because of the hot weather.”

The Beast from the East resulted in more people wanting to stay indoors rather than going to the beach since the turn of the year.

Snow and regular outbreaks of rain have resulted in businesses suffering.

And Martin Richardson, who has owned Southend seafront’s Happidrome Arcade for five years, confirmed that the poor weather saw his earnings drop.

Martin, 52, said: “We are never going to get the money we lost from the recent bad weather back, but every little helps.

“It’s a shame that this weather didn’t come a week ago when the kids were on their school holidays.

“We would like the school boards to move the holidays to one week before Easter and one week after so that there is more time for the kids and families to travel.

“The sun is what we crave. We didn’t get a lot of good weather last year and that was a big factor in our numbers being down.”

Richard Gladwin, the owner of Southend’s Arnold Palmer Mini Golf, said: “Every time the sun comes out, it’s great and it’s all a seaside town needs. It’s the most important thing.

“It poured down with rain during the Bank Holidays recently. It makes it difficult to bring customers in when it’s like that.

“However, from a golf point of view, it can get too hot and people can’t stay for too long without any shade.”