Is Britain getting colder or warmer

It is hard to say, judging by temperature data for the last 40 years.

During the 1970s, Britain became a lot colder, with mean air temperatures falling well over one full degree celsuis. One could be forgiven for thinking the Ice Age cometh.

Then, something strange happened in 1985 - we had near instant global warming. Temperatures jumped almost 2 degrees. The temperature has fluctuated a little but does appear to be on an upward trend, at least until 2008, when temperatures fell sharply.

So what do we know about UK temperatures? On average, air temperatures have been about 9.9 degrees celsius. The highest annual average was around 10.8 and the lowest was 8.5. That makes a rather hefty difference - some 2.3 degrees.

Does the UK weather from the last four decades provide any clear evidence of global warming? Does the evidence from sun sizzled nineties somehow outweigh the icy harshness of the 1970s?

Don't ask me - I have no clue.