Temperatures to rise to 32C ahead of thunderstorms across the UK

Parts of the UK are bracing for another day of sizzling temperatures ahead of three days of yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms.

An amber weather warning for extreme heat is in place until 11.59pm on Sunday for large parts of the south, east, west, midlands and north of England as temperatures are predicted to rise to 32C.

The Met Office has put the warning in place saying that people could experience “adverse health effects”, such as sunburn or heat exhaustion, and delays to transport during the hot weather.

Meanwhile, over in Scotland and Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for thunderstorms is in place from 9am Sunday to 11.59pm Monday as the north experiences a sweep of heavy rain for the next two days.

The forecaster has warned of flash flooding and power cuts as showers beat down across the two regions.

The warning then spreads to England and Wales on Monday and Tuesday, with just the south west and south east of England facing a third day of yellow warnings on Wednesday until 11.59pm, as the rain eases off elsewhere.

The hot weather has already seen several wildfires erupt across England, with the latest blaze breaking out in the North York Moors National Park.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the blaze on Saturday evening shortly after 6pm in Sutton Bank and firefighters worked through
the night to dampen down the grass to prevent further spread.

Met Office forecasters have warned there is a “significant risk” of further wildfires on Sunday as the ground has been “extremely dry for an extended period”.

An official drought was declared in eight areas of England on Friday by the National Drought Group (NDG), which comprises representatives from the Government, water companies, the Environment Agency (EA) and others.

Three water companies – Welsh Water, Southern Water, and South East Water – have all imposed hosepipe bans, while Yorkshire Water has announced a ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water is planning one in the coming weeks.

On Saturday, residents in Surrey were without water on Saturday after issues hit the Netley Mill Water Treatment Works.

Water supplier Thames Water apologised and handed out bottled water to residents in Guilford, Surrey Hills, Dorking and Horsham while engineers worked to restore the supply.

By Sunday morning the problem had been fixed, with residents being told water was “gradually returning to the area”.

A statement from Thames Water said: “Problems at Netley Mill Water Treatment Works have been fixed and supply is gradually returning to the area. We’re identifying and unblocking air pockets in the system to allow taps to flow normally.

“As supplies return, you may notice spluttering, cloudiness or low pressure – but this will improve.”

Councillor Liz Townsend from Surrey County Council criticised Thames Water for the supply issues during one of the hottest weekends of the year.

She told BBC Breakfast: “This is happening more and more now with warm weather.

“We had this problem last year as well here.

“And to be honest, the service is not fit for purpose now and residents are rightly getting very, very annoyed about what they’re having to put up with.”

She added that Thames Water “failed this time to meet the needs of the vulnerable as well in and around Cranleigh and Ewhurst” after she received messages from elderly people saying they had not been delivered any water.