While the UK freezes, Sydney roasts in record-breaking 46C heat

While much of the UK has been brought to a standstill thanks to a snowstorm that could last for 40 hours, residents and tourists in Sydney are roasting after the city recorded its highest temperature ever - 45.7C.

Holidaymakers and locals alike have been seen hitting the beaches in swathes, after temps broke the previous record of 43.5C back in 1939.

The blistering heat has hampered efforts to bring fires in New South Wales under control, and there have also been huge blazes in Victoria, according to 3news.co.nz.

Supplies of water and sunscreen are reportedly running low, but there will be a reprieve from the soaring temperatures as they drop to the low 20s in New South Wales and Victoria this weekend.

Meanwhile, in Britain, thousands of schools have closed, commuters have been left stranded was rail networks shut down, air passengers are sitting around in airports as flights have been cancelled, and panic-buying has hit supermarkets as shelves are cleared, reports the Daily Telegraph.

According to The Sun, around 70 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport, and the Met Office has issued a rare red weather alert for parts of South Wales, where up to a foot of snow has fallen onto higher ground.

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