Amber heat health alerts issued in England as temperatures set to hit 36C (independent.co.uk)

Temperatures could soar to as high as 36C this week as parts of the UK face their fifth heatwave this summer. The country will continue to swelter through more extremely hot and dry conditions that will potentially impact railway lines and power networks. Highs of 28C are expected on Monday, with the mercury set to climb to 29C in parts of the South on Tuesday. Temperatures will then soar into the mid-30s across the country on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, before dropping back to the mid-20s at the weekend. Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales. “On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit further south, the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands, is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots. “But Thursday at this stage looks the most likely hottest day of the week. So 36C is a fairly reasonable probability locally on Thursday and there’s a small chance it could get even higher than that.” Half of England and all of Wales have been plunged into drought...