Warning As Britain Basks In The Sun

The Met Office has issued a heat warning for large parts of the UK as forecasters predicted temperatures could rise above 30C.

Health and social services will be preparing themelves under the Heat Health system should temperatures get too much for the young and elderly as increasingly hot and humid air will spread across much of Britain during this coming week.

The system uses four levels of response based upon threshold maximum daytime and minimum night-time temperatures.

These thresholds vary by region, but an average is 30C (86F) by day and 15C (59F) overnight.

Wales, the north and Scotland is at level one, the lowest, but the Midlands, east Anglia and the south of England is currently at level two.

This is triggered as soon as the risk is 60% or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night.

Sky weather forecaster Isobel Lang said: "It's been warm enough already this past week, temperatures reached 28C (82.4F) in London on Saturday, and the heat and humidy has already sparked off intense storms.

"But it's going to get even hotter.

"The peak of the heat this week looks like being Wednesday or Thursday with a high of 32 Celsius (90F) possible in London.

"Night-time temperatures will be unusually high and obviously it's the build-up of heat over several days and nights which will cause the problem."

NHS Direct said the elderly and young children are most at risk from heat stroke in hot weather and that people should avoid going out in the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm.

Medics advise:

:: Strenuous outdoor activity such as sport, DIY, or gardening is best avoided and that people outside should stay in the shade, wear a hat and light, loose-fitting clothes, preferably cotton.

:: Indoors, close curtains in rooms that get a lot of sun.

:: Take cool showers or baths, and splash yourself several times a day with cold water, particularly your face and the back of your neck.

:: Drink regularly even if you do not feel thirsty - water and fruit juice are best. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol as they can cause dehydration.

The heat and humidity is expected to fuel some severe thunderstorms this week with the risk of flash flooding.

It has already claimed one victim after a teenage boy was struck by lightning in a park in Birmingham.

The 16-year-old suffered a heart attack after the incident in Small Heath Park and is now in a critical but stable condition in hospital.