Storms forecast as temperatures soar across sweltering UK

Published on Wednesday 1 July 2009 21:59

TEMPERATURES soared as high as 26C in Scotland yesterday as Britain basked in one of the hottest days of the year.

Aberdeen was thought to be Scotland's hot spot as holiday centres notched up temperatures to compete with the likes of Greece and Turkey.

But forecasters warned the humid weather was expected to lead to widespread showers and thunderstorms that could start sweeping across Scotland and Wales from today.

Temperatures across the country are expected to peak today, before cooling down over the weekend.

The highest temperature in the UK yesterday was recorded at 30C at Heathrow Airport. Tarmac down the road at the Henley Regatta started to melt, while more than 30 revellers collapsed in the heat.

The coolest areas were on the west coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the temperature rose no higher than 20C.

The Met Office has declared this summer already hotter than the past two years. And experts yesterday warned people to take precautions during the heat of the day.

Wayne Elliott, head of health forecasting at the Met Office, said: "There are four key things to try and remember during a heatwave. If possible stay out of the heat during the middle part of the day, cool yourself down, keep your environment cool and look out for others, especially older people, those living alone, babies and young children."

A TUC spokesman called for employees to be encouraged to wear shorts during the sweltering heat to make work more bearable and prevent them from "collapsing" at their desks.

The spokesman said: "We believe that the best way for staff to keep cool inside when it's swelteringly hot outside is for them to be able to sport less formal, more casual clothing, and come into work in shirt sleeves and shorts."

However, business leaders claimed that Andy Murray's progress at Wimbledon was posing a greater threat to employees' attendance than the heatwave.

A spokesman for the British Chambers of Commerce said: "On the whole, it's business as usual during the hot weather. In reality, it's the progress of Andy Murray at Wimbledon that risks employees slinking off a little earlier than usual."