The UK is set to see temperatures of up to 37C this week after the Met Office issued extreme heat warnings.
The forecaster has expanded its amber health alert, which has been issued for Monday and Tuesday in London and the southeast, southwest, Midlands, east of England, and parts of Wales.
‘Impacts to people and infrastructure are possible and water safety is a particular concern,’ the forecaster said.
‘The Met Office Amber extreme heat warning currently runs through the whole of Monday and Tuesday and will be updated as necessary as confidence in the duration of the heat through next week increases.’
Water safety is also a concern after more than a dozen teenagers died in a heatwave last month.
High UV levels are also anticipated.
London and the southeast will bear the brunt of the hot weather, with temperatures rising to 37C on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Parts of the UK, including the capital, are expected to see temperatures exceed 30C for up to a week, and overnight temperatures are set to top 20C.
The Met Office said it has ‘growing confidence’ that next week’s heatwave will see temperatures surpass the current highest temperature on record for June – 35.6C, recorded in Southampton in 1976.
Climate change is causing heatwaves to become more common in Britain.
We’ve already seen record-breaking temperatures this year, with the late May Bank Holiday ushering in two consecutive days of unprecedented heat for the time of year.
Mainland Europe is facing similar conditions. In France, where temperatures could reach up to 42, alcohol has been banned at state-run events in 35 of its 101 departments – including Paris – in a bid to prevent deaths from dehydration.
Events for the country’s annual Fete De La Musique, scheduled for Sunday, have been called off because of the searing heat.