UK heatwave: Hottest day of year as temperatures soar
Image copyright EPA It is officially the hottest day of the year so far in the UK with temperatures surpassing 34C (93F) in west London.
A temperature of 34.4C was recorded at Heathrow Airport and is expected to rise further during the day.
The UK's all-time temperature record could be broken by Friday as the hot and dry summer continues.
The Met Office said "if conditions all come together" the record of 38.5C (101F) - set in Kent in August 2003 - could be beaten.
Temperatures of 37C (99F) have been forecast in southern, eastern and central England for Friday.
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The high temperatures have been blamed for delays to cross-Channel rail services of up to five hours.
Eurotunnel said air conditioning problems meant some carriages could not be used, which led to the delays.
It added that the queues were on the UK side because of the sheer number of France-bound passengers at the start of the summer getaway.
Meanwhile, London's fire chief has called for barbecue bans to be imposed in the capital's parks after a record-breaking number of grass fires.
London Fire Brigade's Commissioner Dany Cotton urged all borough councils to impose a temporary ban in the "tinder dry capital" as it was "only a matter of time" before someone was seriously hurt.
There have already been 43 large grass fires in London so far this year, compared to seven in the whole of 2017.
