As some areas bask in the warmest December since 1948, this winter heatwave is having numerous side-effects.
On Thursday, we featured a couple who’ve counted a record 31 different species of plant flowering in their garden.
Here (with apologies to those readers in the North suffering a cold snap), Etan Smallman reveals the other surprising effects of the balmy weather...
Wilting Xmas trees
These are likely to ‘moult’ quicker — shedding more needles. This is because most were harvested before they began their annual state of winter hibernation, which is brought on by cold weather.
Ideally, trees should be cut when the temperature is below minus 4c (25f).
To get the best from your tree, cut half an inch from the bottom and keep it in a container topped up with water — and away from radiators.
Cheaper air fares?
Airlines normally have to spend huge sums using chemical sprays to remove ice from the wings and fuselage of their fleet. They must be treated 20 minutes before take-off or they can ice up again.
Last year, easyJet shares rose in value, in part because the mild winter meant less money was spent on de-icing. Let’s hope the reduced costs are passed on to passengers in the form of cheaper tickets. But don’t hold your breath!
More sex
According to scientists, cold weather dulls sexual sensations as lower body temperatures dampen arousal for both men and women.
So, despite the conventional wisdom that people like to cuddle up when it gets cold, sex therapists expect more than normal amounts of bedroom activity this month.
So there could be a baby boom next September. There’s another benefit; menfolk should, in theory, stay slimmer because in cold winters they tend to pile on weight because it makes them want to eat more.
Not surprisingly, people are not buying warm winter duvets — with retailer TheWoolRoom.com reporting sales of super-light quilts increasing by a third compared with last year.
Solar fairy lights
According to TheSolarCentre.co.uk, there has been a 140 per cent increase in sales of its solar-powered fairy lights in the past 30 days compared with the same period last year.
Super-size sprouts
High temperatures have seen Brussels sprouts mature quicker and then keep growing to be 20 per cent larger this year — and the biggest for a decade (up 7 oz (198g) to 12 oz (350 g) and measuring up to 1.7 inches (43 mm) long. The effect on taste is debatable.
Some sprout-lovers believe folklore such as the old Bedfordshire saying which goes ‘Never eat sprouts until after the first frost’, because they taste sweeter afterwards — while some farmers won’t pick sprouts when they’re frozen because they say it adversely affects the taste.
There’s also the best mistletoe crop for ten years — with more and bigger berries.
Stunted rhubarb
Traditionally, this wide-leafed, red-stemmed native of Siberia needs frost to energise the roots, kick-starting their growth.
In Yorkshire, in the so-called Rhubarb Triangle (between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford), farmers try to force the vegetable to grow early in darkened sheds.
They refuse — unlike Dutch farmers — to apply acid to mimic the effects of frost, in the belief that the chemical leaves a paler and less flavourful crop.
Smokers' joy
Bosses have noticed a drop in productivity as staff who smoke take longer cigarette breaks.
Claire Spillane, of the Leicestershire-based welding equipment supplier Westermans International, spotted a ‘significant decrease’ in activity on their warehouse production line: ‘Smokers have spent more time outside than last winter when they rushed back in from the cold.’
Cash in your pocket
Expect smaller domestic bills. Insurance industry costs fell to a five-year low last year, mostly because of the mild 2014/15 winter which led to fewer claims for burst pipes and storm damage.
The average premium for a buildings and contents policy fell by 3.6 per cent in the first three months of this year, according to the British Insurance Premium Index from the AA.
Most households will have saved about £90 on energy bills since September (£50 from December alone), according to engineering consultancy WSP.
Mayhem in gardens
More rain than usual is causing waterlogging. Slugs are more active than usual and weeds are still flourishing.
Salads galore
Salad sales have risen 22 per cent compared with this time last year, according to Marks & Spencer.
Asparagus sales are up 15 per cent, while sales of soft fruit are up 40 per cent this week against the same period in 2014.
Strawberries — normally associated with the Wimbledon tennis fortnight in June — are up 60 per cent on last year.
Ice lollies
Remarkably, ice cream vans are still touring the streets.
John Bonnar, of ice cream van hire firm Piccadilly Whip, reports: ‘People are buying ice cream, when normally at this time of year they would be buying coffee and hot dogs.’
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