London burns as temperatures surpass 40 degrees Celsius

A major incident has been declared in London after a number of fires broke out across the city as the UK hit its hottest temperature on record.

The London fire brigade said more than 250 firefighters were battling three major grass fires that broke out as a result of the intense heat.

Meanwhile, the UK’s hottest temperature on record was logged at Heathrow airport with the thermometer hitting 40.2C in the early afternoon. The previous record was 38.7C in Cambridge in July 2019.

Later on, the temperature at Heathrow was matched in more locations. At 3pm (UK time) several other places reached the 40C mark, including Coningsby in Linconshire, and Finningley near Doncaster.

Forecasters said temperatures could reach up to 42C on Tuesday with serious implications for people's health as the UK is gripped by an intense heatwave that has also caused havoc in Spain, France and Portugal.

The extreme heat is fuelled by climate change which is making every heatwave more intense, frequent and likely, scientists have warned.

In London, the heat has disrupted rail travel with all trains between Euston and Milton Keynes being suspended as emergency services dealt with a fire near the track.

The blaze was caused when overhead electric cables came down in Harrow in north London, which Network Rail, the operator, said was caused by the extreme temperatures.