2cvbloke
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Britain is preparing for the hottest day of the year with temperatures forecast to reach 36C (96.8F).
Monday and Tuesday have already seen the two hottest days so far, with temperatures of up to 33.2C (91.8F).
Forecasters say the top temperatures will be in the west of London, north of Bristol and south of Birmingham but showers are coming from the South West.
It is set to be the hottest July day since 1911, when temperatures reached 36C (97F) in Epsom, Surrey.
British temperatures this week have topped such holiday destinations as Athens, Bermuda, Rio de Janeiro and Rome. Forecasters expect a bank of showers coming in from the South West to cool things down on Wednesday night and into Thursday, but the weekend should still be very warm.
The highest UK temperature ever recorded was 38.5C (101.3F) in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.
Met Office warning
Graham Forrester, of the Met Office told BBC Five Live the heat was "quite exceptional".
He said: "We don't get heat this often in this country and indeed the Met Office has its heatwave warning out to the National Health Service.
"We're looking probably at temperatures in southern and central England certainly in the mid-30s.
"We might even see somewhere a temperature of 37C, which is quite exceptional."
In Wales the July record of 33.6C (92.4F) is expected to be broken, with temperatures of 34C (93F) predicted for Cardiff.
Wednesday should be hot and sunny in Wales, but with isolated thunderstorms in the evening.
In Scotland temperatures are expected to reach 32C (89.6F) in Dumfries and Ayrshire.
Most of the country should also be hot and sunny but some eastern coastal areas, from the borders up to Aberdeenshire will have low clouds with some mist and fog.
In Northern Ireland temperatures of around 29C (84.2F) are expected, but cooler weather is expected tomorrow with the odd shower breaking out.
Emergency measures The heatwave has sparked a series of health warnings over fears for the safety of elderly and vulnerable people.
Emergency measures have been brought in to protect the roads of several counties as gritters began spreading rock dust to protect the surfaces.
Travellers planning to use the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Lancaster were warned to expect delays on Wednesday because of speed restrictions introduced because of the extreme heat.
The Virgin Pendolino services on the West Coast Main Line, between London Euston and Lancaster, will be restricted to a 90mph speed limit on Wednesday for safety reasons.
This will also affect the routes to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Heat caused railway lines to buckle in the Midlands on Tuesday and many services from New Street Station in Birmingham had to be cancelled.
'Unbearable'
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) says Britain's retailers need to keep their employees cool and has lobbied the government for a change in the law to introduce a legally enforceable maximum working temperature.
"Our members are telling us that temperatures on the shopfloor in some stores can be unbearable for workers and shoppers alike," says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett.
"The fact there is not a legally enforceable upper limit makes it very confusing for responsible employers and allows bad employers to ignore serious health and safety concerns," he said.
The RSPCA has issued its own warnings about the dangers of dogs being left exposed to the heat. The animal charity has received 700 calls since 1 July reporting dogs left in cars, on balconies, in gardens, sheds and other areas without cover or water, and took 67 such calls on Monday.
Source: _http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5193486.stm
Monday and Tuesday have already seen the two hottest days so far, with temperatures of up to 33.2C (91.8F).
Forecasters say the top temperatures will be in the west of London, north of Bristol and south of Birmingham but showers are coming from the South West.
It is set to be the hottest July day since 1911, when temperatures reached 36C (97F) in Epsom, Surrey.
British temperatures this week have topped such holiday destinations as Athens, Bermuda, Rio de Janeiro and Rome. Forecasters expect a bank of showers coming in from the South West to cool things down on Wednesday night and into Thursday, but the weekend should still be very warm.
The highest UK temperature ever recorded was 38.5C (101.3F) in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.
Met Office warning
Graham Forrester, of the Met Office told BBC Five Live the heat was "quite exceptional".
He said: "We don't get heat this often in this country and indeed the Met Office has its heatwave warning out to the National Health Service.
"We're looking probably at temperatures in southern and central England certainly in the mid-30s.
"We might even see somewhere a temperature of 37C, which is quite exceptional."
In Wales the July record of 33.6C (92.4F) is expected to be broken, with temperatures of 34C (93F) predicted for Cardiff.
Wednesday should be hot and sunny in Wales, but with isolated thunderstorms in the evening.
In Scotland temperatures are expected to reach 32C (89.6F) in Dumfries and Ayrshire.
Most of the country should also be hot and sunny but some eastern coastal areas, from the borders up to Aberdeenshire will have low clouds with some mist and fog.
In Northern Ireland temperatures of around 29C (84.2F) are expected, but cooler weather is expected tomorrow with the odd shower breaking out.
Emergency measures The heatwave has sparked a series of health warnings over fears for the safety of elderly and vulnerable people.
Emergency measures have been brought in to protect the roads of several counties as gritters began spreading rock dust to protect the surfaces.
Travellers planning to use the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Lancaster were warned to expect delays on Wednesday because of speed restrictions introduced because of the extreme heat.
The Virgin Pendolino services on the West Coast Main Line, between London Euston and Lancaster, will be restricted to a 90mph speed limit on Wednesday for safety reasons.
This will also affect the routes to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Heat caused railway lines to buckle in the Midlands on Tuesday and many services from New Street Station in Birmingham had to be cancelled.
'Unbearable'
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) says Britain's retailers need to keep their employees cool and has lobbied the government for a change in the law to introduce a legally enforceable maximum working temperature.
"Our members are telling us that temperatures on the shopfloor in some stores can be unbearable for workers and shoppers alike," says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett.
"The fact there is not a legally enforceable upper limit makes it very confusing for responsible employers and allows bad employers to ignore serious health and safety concerns," he said.
The RSPCA has issued its own warnings about the dangers of dogs being left exposed to the heat. The animal charity has received 700 calls since 1 July reporting dogs left in cars, on balconies, in gardens, sheds and other areas without cover or water, and took 67 such calls on Monday.
Source: _http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5193486.stm
