Heatwave peak sees parts of UK climb to 33C

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The UK experienced the peak of a four-day heatwave on Monday, with temperatures in parts of England reaching 33C.

London's Heathrow was the hottest place in the UK, reaching 33.1C, closely followed by St James's Park at 33C.

It comes as most of England is subject to an amber heath health alert, meaning the entire population, the NHS, and transportation is likely to be affected.

Wimbledon saw its hottest opening day on record, with tennis players seen holding ice bags on their heads to keep them cool.

Several other areas peaked above 30C, including parts of Suffolk, Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Wimbledon saw its hottest opening day on record

This means it is just shy of being one of the hottest June days on record.

People across England took to the beaches, with huge crowds seen at Brighton seafront, as people tried to escape the heat which is due to continue into Tuesday.

At Twycross Zoo in the East Midlands, animals were fed food encased in ice to keep them cool.

There were some reports of travel disruption, but most services were unaffected throughout Monday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts across England. Guidance recommends wearing hats, sunglasses and suncream.

Amber alerts covering Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West are in place until 09:00 BST on Wednesday.

A yellow alert for north-west England is also place until Wednesday.

The high temperatures mean all of these areas are likely to experience a rise in deaths particularly among the vulnerable, according to the UKHSA.

The hottest June days on record were in 1957 and 1976 at 35.6C. The next years on the list are 2017 with a June high of 34.5C and 2019 with 34.0C.

Meanwhile, searing temperatures have been recorded across Europe.

Andalucía in southern Spain saw a temperature of 46C on Saturday, while 46.6C was recorded in the town of Mora in central Portugal on Sunday.

However, it was not hot everywhere. Scotland and Northern Ireland have escaped the heatwave conditions and it has been fresher in both nations, with some rain moving in gradually.

Night-time lows are only predicted to fall to 20C in some areas heading into Tuesday.

The drier conditions in Scotland have aided a number of wildfires across the Highlands, which fire fighters continued to tackle on Monday evening.

Roads have been shut around Grantown-on-Spey and near Carrbridge, with drifting smoke affecting nearby residents.

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.

This is the second heatwave of the year.

While linking climate change with specific individual extreme weather events can be difficult, scientists say that climate change is generally making heatwaves hotter and longer.

Scientists at the World Weather Attribution group estimate that such conditions in June are now about 10 times more likely.

There is also a "severe" risk of wildfires according to the London Fire Brigade.

And Craig Bennett chief executive The Wildlife Trusts, said that the hot, dry weather had left the ground parched.

"It's really devastating if you see all the grasses dried out - as wildlife depended on them for food," Bennett said.

Hundreds took to Brighton beach to escape the heat

Dive in: the scorching temperatures continued in Brighton on Sunday