As temperatures soared above 40°C yesterday wildfires swept through homes and rail services ground to a halt.
At least nine homes were destroyed by fire in the village of Wennington, east London, while a second blaze spread from grassland to houses in nearby Dagenham.
Temperatures hit a record 40.3°C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, yesterday afternoon, beating the high of 38.7°C set in 2019. Temperatures in Heathrow reached 40.2°C.
Scientists have called the extreme heat a “wake up call” for the climate emergency.
