UK heatwave brings more sunshine for weekend

The scorching weather is set to continue as temperatures are forecast to remain high into the weekend.

Britons enjoyed the hottest temperature of the year for the fourth day in a row on Thursday as the mercury soared to 33C (91.4F).

Porthmadog in Wales reached the sweltering high, beating successive highs since Monday as the June heatwave continues.

The hot weather is expected to last with the sun set to shine into the weekend across most of the UK, as Sunday marks the first day of July.

Summer weather June 28th 2018
Summer weather June 28th 2018

Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said late on Thursday night: "There's not an awful lot of change to be honest. Certainly tomorrow it's going to be a repeat performance in terms of an awful lot of sunshine right the way across the UK.

"Another pretty hot day for most."

She said an exception would be parts of the eastern coast where low cloud will bring temperatures down.

Ms Roberts said parts of north-west England, north-east Wales, western Scotland and possibly Northern Ireland could hit around 30C.

The forecaster said there will only be "subtle" changes over the weekend, with very warm temperatures across most of the UK.

"We might start to get the risk of some thundery showers, particularly on Sunday, predominantly across the far south-west of the UK, so probably Cornwall is most likely to see any of that," Ms Roberts said.

According to the latest information from the Met Office, the top temperature in Wales, and the UK, on Thursday was 33C (91.4F) in Porthmadog.

Scotland's top temperature was 31.9C (89.42F) in Glasgow, England's top temperature was 30.6C (87.08F) in Keswick and Northern Ireland's top temperature was 30.5C (86.9F) in Derrylin.

The Met Office's heat-health watch alert remains at level two, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

Public Health England issued a warning saying the extreme heat may pose a risk to the most vulnerable.

The rising temperatures have come with warnings to be careful near water and in the countryside, where fire crews have been tackling wildfires.

People enjoy the warm weather on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex (Gareth Fuller/PA)
People enjoy the warm weather on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The heat has already claimed casualties - a 17-year-old boy was found dead in the River Aire in Leeds in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a search and rescue operation. It is believed he got into difficulties while swimming on Tuesday evening.

Elsewhere the body of 13-year-old Ryan Evans, who went missing on Monday after getting into difficulty in Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent, was recovered from the water.

The body of a man was also recovered from a lake in Nutfield, Surrey, on Monday.

The RNLI has urged those heading to the seaside to seek out beaches with a lifeguard.

A man paddleboarding
A man paddleboarding

The RSPCA called on pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals in the heat after receiving 625 calls about animals in hot environments between June 11 and 24 - the majority about dogs in hot cars.

Commuters have endured delays after rail services were forced to impose speed limits due to overheating tracks.

South Western Railway said track temperatures were expected to reach 47C (116.6F) on many parts of its route this week.

Services on the London Waterloo to New Malden line are being subjected to speed restrictions from 11am each day until Friday.

Customers in some areas have been warned to take simple steps to help conserve water.

We're still seeing high demand for water, even as we pump an extra 300 million litres into supply. To make sure our customers don't experience low pressure we're asking everyone to think of their neighbours and communities by using only the water they need.https://t.co/g44SveGIhSpic.twitter.com/ncdOuDC78p

-- Severn Trent (@stwater) June 28, 2018

The hot spell is good news for gardeners, with horticultural experts saying it could help produce excellent vegetables, fruit and flowers.

The Royal Horticultural Society have suggested people use waste water from the kitchen to keep plants nourished and to reduce demand for water.

The Met Office said this is the first time in five years that temperatures have hit 30C (86F) in all four nations of the UK.

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