Britain basks in the heat as temperatures peak at 34C in the hottest June since 1976

Today has officially been declared as Britain’s hottest June day for 40 years, after temperatures peaked at just under 34C.

According to the Met Office, highs of 33.9C were reached in Heathrow, west London, making it the hottest day in June since the 35.6C recorded in Southampton on June 28, 1976.

It also means that it is the hottest summer solstice on record, after beating the 31.7C recorded in Camden Square in 1936.

Wednesday will be the fifth consecutive day that temperatures have reached 30C in the UK, said the Met Office, as the heatwave continues.

The last time Britain saw a similar run of hot June weather was more than 20 years ago, from June 26 to June 30 in 1995.

On June 30 of that year, 33.8C was recorded in Worcester, a figure that could be surpassed today.

MORE: UK heatwave – It’s so hot the roads are melting
MORE: How to tell if your cat or dog has heatstroke — and what to do about it

Although 34C is forecast, it is unlikely to go as high as the 1976 temperature, which should remain the hottest June day on record.

The Met Office has issued the second highest heatwave alert for England as temperatures continue to soar.

The level three amber warning – one behind a national emergency – has been issued until 9am on Thursday.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘It is likely that we’ll have five days in a row with a weather station somewhere in the UK recording 30C or more – from Saturday until tomorrow.

‘The last time that we had five days in a row in June above 30C was from June 26 to June 30 1995.’

Monday was the UK’s hottest day of the year, with 32.5C recorded at Hampton Water Works in Greater London.

Many places across the south had temperatures of at least 30C on Tuesday, with highs of 31.4C recorded at both Heathrow Airport and Wisley, Surrey.

In Guildford, Surrey Police said spilt oil had melted into a tarmac road due to the scorching conditions.

A teenage boy drowned in a reservoir at Greenbooth Reservoir, a moorland beauty spot outside Rochdale, Greater Manchester, after reportedly getting into difficulties while swimming in the hot weather.

And a woman in her 80s also died after being pulled from the sea at East Wittering beach in West Sussex on Monday afternoon, Sussex Police said.

Music fans arriving at Glastonbury festival on Wednesday will face a sweaty walk to pitch their tents with highs of 30C expected.

The NHS has urged the elderly, children and those with medical conditions to keep cool and hydrated during the heatwave.

Those at risk are warned to keep in the shade during the hottest part of the day between 11am and 3pm.

Police and fire services have also been tweeting advice on how to enjoy the sun safely, as Brits get out the barbecue and swim outdoors to cool off.

An air-quality alert was triggered by the mayor of London Sadiq Khan on the city’s transport system on Tuesday afternoon.

High levels of pollution are forecast for Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.

‘It is important that Londoners who are vulnerable, such as asthma sufferers, and children and elderly people, are able to take appropriate measures to protect themselves,’ she said.

‘These might include carrying inhalers or modifying journeys into work to avoid the most polluted routes.’

But it won’t be sunny everywhere – a yellow weather warning for heavy rain spanning from 3am on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday has also been issued for south-west Scotland, England and Wales.

Bouts of rain, heavy and thundery at times, are expected to move in from the west to initially affect parts of northern England, with potentially 20mm or 30mm of rain falling in one or two hours.

More extensive thunderstorms may then spread south over a larger part of England and Wales from late Wednesday afternoon into the night, leading to torrential downpours, frequent lightning and a chance of hail.

Some houses, businesses and transport routes may be affected by localised flooding, while power supplies in some areas could be temporarily disrupted due to a combination of heavy rain and frequent lightning strikes.

Mr Madge said thundery rain will move across England on Thursday, bringing the hot weather to an end.

He said: ‘Quite a heavy belt of thundery showers will be moving eastwards and that behind it will pull in slightly cooler fresher air.

‘There’s a chance that the South East will hang on to the heat for longest.’