British plants are coming into flower earlier as temperatures rise, according to a study which is based on nature records dating back 250 years.

The research, which draws on observations from members of the public, reveals that each 1 °C rise in temperature has seen blooms appearing five days earlier.

The change has been greatest in the past 25 years, with flowers coming out between 2 and 12 days earlier in the past quarter century than in any previous 25-year period.

These latest findings echo another study which showed that animal reproduction had shifted forward by 11 days between 1976 and 2005.