The heat record for June has been broken for the third day in a row as Britain continues to face high temperatures.
The Met Office has confirmed the mercury reached 36.9C in Wattisham, Suffolk, beating yesterday's record of 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset.
These temperatures have broken the 50-year-old record of 35.6C, recorded in Southampton in the infamous summer of 1976.
In a post on X shortly before 2pm, the Met Office said: "Temperatures are still rising."
Schools and nurseries have been forced to closed and a hosepipe ban has been brought in for Kent amid surging demand.
Several hospitals have declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to its highest number of life-threatening emergencies ever on Wednesday, and its chief operating officer Craig Harman said he expects "demand to grow day on day over the next couple of days".
As football fans prepare to cheer on England in Saturday’s World Cup game against Panama, Mr Harman has told people to drink alcohol responsibly, drinking "plenty of water" in between alcoholic beverages.
More to follow...
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