This summer looks set to have been the wettest in the UK since records began in 1914, figures from the Met Office suggest.

Provisional rainfall figures up to August 28 show that a total of 358.5mm of rain fell on the UK, just beating the previous record of 358.4mm set in 1956.

However, since there is such a narrow margin between the figures and further rainfall data has to be gathered, 2007 could end up being the second wettest summer on record, the Met Office said.

The wet summer has been largely caused by the position of the jet stream, a ribbon of very strong winds which brings weather systems across the UK.

Keith Groves, Met Office: "These figures confirm what most people have already been thinking - this summer has been very wet and very disappointing for most."

For much of this summer, the jet stream was further south and stronger than in a typical summer which has brought depressions across many parts of the country.

Keith Groves, head of forecasting at the Met Office, said: "These figures confirm what most people have already been thinking - this summer has been very wet and very disappointing for most."

Although very wet, this summer was also relatively warm, averaging 14.1C (57.38F).

The summer rainfall for England is expected to reach 324.2mm, a staggering 16mm higher than the 1956 record of 308.2mm.

Torrential rain in June and July caused severe flooding in many parts of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, the Midlands and Gloucestershire.

But summer rainfall in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not expected to break any records.

Scotland is expected to have seen 383.3mm of rain this summer, well below the 1985 record of 453.6mm.

The provisional figure for Wales is 469.9mm, a far cry from the 1927 record of 499.5mm.

Northern Ireland's provisional figure is expected to be 374.5mm, far below the 1958 record of 404mm.