Britons bask in hot day with thunderstorms forecast

LONDON: Many Britons were basking in another hot day, with temperatures in the 30Cs on Sunday.

The mercury was forecast to reach 35C on Sunday – with Kent, Sussex and parts of London being the most likely to see the highest temperatures, according to Met Office forecaster Craig Snell.

It comes as the Met Office warned “severe thunderstorms” are likely early next week. Snell said: “There is some contrast. For some of us the heatwave will continue on Sunday and beyond.”

People in Dorset are being urged to avoid Lulworth and Durdle Door due to large numbers already in the coastal areas, and officials said they are closing roads to manage traffic.

On Saturday, HM Coastguard dealt with 340 incidents across the whole of the UK — the highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years. The Coastguard co-ordinated search and rescue responses to a wide range of incidents, including people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables. In total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371.

Saturday’s top temperature was 34.5C — which was recorded at Frittenden in Kent, Wiggonholt in West Sussex, and Herstmonceux in East Sussex, the Met Office said.

Snell said: “Overall Scotland and Northern Ireland are not tapping into the really hot air which parts of England experiencing on Sunday.”

However, thunderstorms are forecast for next week. Yellow thunderstorm warnings for all parts of the UK have been issued for Monday through to Wednesday. The warning states: “Some places are likely to see severe thunderstorms early next week – but there is significant uncertainty in location and timing.”

Saturday, for the second day in a row, saw crowds of people headed for the coast – with images showing packed out beaches.

Thanet District Council said Ramsgate Main Sands beach in Kent was “extremely busy”, with high tide likely to make social distancing difficult.

Blackpool Police also reported its beaches being busy and it had a “larger than usual” number of children going missing.

In Norfolk, police recovered a body from the water at Bawsey Pits near King’s Lynn following reports of a man getting into difficulty in the water.

South East Water urged its customers to put away their hose pipes, garden sprinklers and garden water toys as it said that a spike in demand had left some people with low water or no water.

Friday saw the hottest August day in 17 years, with the mercury hitting 36.4C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens.