Turn off the lights, we've got a heatwave on the way: Patronising

Daily MailTurn off the lights, we've got a heatwave on the way: Patronising - and ...Daily MailA heatwave alert was issued for Britain today as forecasters warned of the impact on health of 32C temperatures due to arrive later this week. A powerful summer storm is also threatening to bring flooding to parts of the country this weekend, just ...

Storms expected after heatwave

Met Office issues rain alert after UK enjoys heatwave

The Met Office has issued a Yellow warning for rain this week, after the UK enjoyed scorching temperatures.

There are thunderstorms expected in much of England, Wales and Scotland, with risk of torrential downpours.

More widespread storms expected this week. Credit: Met OfficeMet Office lowers heat health warning for many

The Met Office has lowered the heat health warning across much of England to a yellow level 2 warning, urging people to be "alert and ready".

Most of England has a heat health warning of yellow level 2. Credit: Met Office

Both Wales and the North East England regions have been issued the lower green level 1 warning.

Read more: Heat health warnings explainedHotting up and humid but turning thundery on Monday Read: Heatwave set to continueFour-week-old baby taken to hospital due to sunburn

A four-week-old boy is among ten children who have been admitted to hospital since the hot weather began.

Six of the ten patients, the oldest of which is 14 needed specialist treatment at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, Sussex, due to the severity of their sunburn.

No parent or carer intends for their child to get sunburnt and accidents do happen.

But spending just a couple of minutes applying sunscreen to a child before they go out in the sun is the difference between a summer of fun and a summer spoilt by sunburn.

The sun at this time of year is very strong and children can get burnt very quickly. The children we've treated over the last few weeks have been referred to our unit because their burns have been so severe they have required specialist treatment.

- Nora Nugent, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Queen Victoria Hospital'Another busy night' for fire crews amid heatwave

As wildfire warnings are issued across the country, it has been "another busy night" for fire crews:

Wales fire crews tackle grass fires and BBQ blazes

Fire crews in Mid and West Wales have been tackling blazes that include grass fires and a BBQ fire:

Cooler weekend as temperatures drop below 30C for the first time in a week ...

Maximum temperatures of 'only' 28 degrees in the south of the UK today Cool breezes from the the North Sea to finally bring some respite Showers and thunderstorms to start tomorrow in the South West and move across the country by Monday But mercury set to soar again next week and could hit 35C on Tuesday or Wednesday next week A&E units becoming overwhelmed - half a million people attended last week Tarmac road melts in Cambridge after prolonged spell of hot weather Send us your photographs of the British weather to mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk

By Claire Ellcott And Sophie Borland and Steve Robson

PUBLISHED: 04:50 EST, 20 July 2013 | UPDATED: 04:58 EST, 20 July 2013

Britain will finally get some respite from the stifling heat today as temperatures drop below 30 degrees for the first time in a week.

Cool breezes and cloud from the North Sea will bring some fresher air to the east of the country as maximum temperatures will be 'just' 28 degrees in the south.

But the longest heatwave for seven years is set to continue next week with the mercury expected to hit 35 for the first time since 2006.

The hot weather has taken its toll on the UK, with grass fires in London, mountain blazes in the Welsh valleys and forest fires in Fife, Scotland.

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Showers and thunderstorms will hit the South West tomorrow, spreading through western parts of the UK on Monday. By Tuesday heavy, thundery rain will be more widespread, and thundery showers are expected to cover most of the country by Wednesday, Mr Wilby said.

Despite the prolonged heatwave, temperatures are unlikely to top the high of 36.5C recorded in Surrey in July 2006.

The Met Office has warned of an 'elevated risk' of fires in the countryside following six consecutive days of plus-30C temperatures and a dramatic reduction in the average monthly rainfall.

Level three heatwave health warnings have been issued for western parts of the country. The South East, East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber are at level two. The North East and East remain at level one.

Police and fire chiefs have reiterated warnings about escaping the heat by swimming in open water after a number of deaths in recent weeks. Four people died in separate incidents on Tuesday in lakes, rivers and the sea in Norfolk, the Shropshire-north Wales border and Cornwall.

Officers in Lincolnshire reported another death yesterday afternoon, after a woman was pulled from the sea in Skegness.

Emergency services were called to the beach area behind the Beachcomber on Roman Bank, Ingoldmells, shortly after midday.

Officers said the 69-year-old woman's death was not being treated as suspicious.

Elsewhere, a four-week-old baby was among 10 children admitted to one hospital with sunburn since the period of hot weather began.

Six of the 10 patients - of which the oldest was 14 - needed specialist treatment after being referred to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, from other hospitals because of the severity of their burns.

The balmy temperatures have also proved difficult for some motorists, with roadside recovery firms reporting a spike in weather-related breakdowns. Elsewhere wildfires have also seen emergency services stretched.

Crops due for imminent harvest are said to be particularly vulnerable to blazes.

In London, firefighters have tackled dozens of grass fires since Wednesday afternoon, including at Mitcham Common on Thursday when flames burned through grass and gorse in an area the size of four football pitches.

Insurers have warned wildfires could put lives at risk and cost millions of pounds in damaged crops and machinery.

Farmers have been urged to ensure that their fire extinguishers are well maintained and to reduce the risk of combine harvesters catching fire by regularly cleaning the machinery to remove chaff and dust.

Britain will have a little respite from the extreme temperatures over the weekend, feeling fresher in eastern areas with more cloud and breezes coming in from the North Sea, weather experts said.

James Wilby, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said western Scotland, western Northern Ireland and the southern counties of England will be the hottest areas, with temperatures reaching 27C or 28C, while eastern counties will see 22C or 23C.

'Sunday will be warmer, with 29C in the southern counties, but Monday will be the warmest day, with 32C possible just south of London, and perhaps 33C in localised areas,' Mr Wilby said.

'Tuesday will see similar conditions to Monday, but on Wednesday and Thursday it will be between 26C and 28C.'

Ten children including a four-week-old baby have been admitted to West Sussex hospitals with sunburn since the heatwave began earlier this month.

The weather has also wreaked havoc with transport. Tarmac on a newly resurfaced road in Cambridge melted and in Hampshire a fleet of gritters was deployed to stop surfaces softening.

With only 15 per cent of the average monthly rainfall so far, the Met Office warned of an 'elevated risk' of fires.

On Ham Common in Dorset, arsonists started a blaze in a nature reserve which lasted several hours due to the dry ground.

Wildfires tore across valleys in south Wales and devastated swathes of Tentsmuir Forest in north-east Fife, Scotland, yesterday.

Eight fire crews and around 60 firefighters are tackling a huge grass fire in east London as the country enjoys another scorching day.

The blaze, near Epping Forest, covers an area of around 200 square metres and comes as days of unbroken sunshine have turned the British countryside into a tinderbox.

Crews were also dealing with a second smaller fire in Leytonstone. In total, they have been tackling a record 21 blazes a day after the prolonged spell of dry weather.

South London burning: Firefighters damp down after putting out the blaze on Mitcham Common yesterday as the fire risk rises across the country in the warm weather

In London alone, firefighters have already tackled 1,000 grass blazes this summer - many sparked by glass bottles left by picnickers or discarded cigarettes.

The London Fire Brigade said a fire broke out at Wanstead Flats this afternoon, just south of scenic Epping Forest, which was the size of nine football pitches.

A further eight fire engines and 60 firefighters were dealing with a separate fire a short distance away at Hollow Pond. There were no reports of any casualties.

A spokesman said : 'We were called to reports of a grass fire with trees and shrubbery on fire in the Epping Forest area at 1.55pm this afternoon. We sent three crews consisting of 15 firefighters.

'We were also called to another fire on Whipps Cross Road in Leytonstone. We also sent three crew with 15 firefighters to the scene of this incident.

'This fire covered an area of two hectares with grass and shrubbery. Both of these fires were reported by several members of the public.'

London Fire Brigade said they are dealing with the worst grass fires since 2006, as temperatures peaked at 29C today. There were 37 grass fires in 24 hour period, ending yesterday afternoon.

London Fire Brigade's Head of Operations, Prevention and Response, Dave Brown said: 'We're attending the highest number of grass fires since 2006 but we are more than able to cope with every incident in London.

'Grass fires can cause a great deal of damage to open spaces and wildlife, and can be avoided by making sure that cigarettes and barbecues are extinguished properly, and that glass bottles are disposed of carefully.'

'We are likely to see a period of fresher and perhaps cooler weather to come in towards the end of next week. It is a case of wait and see how the story develops - the main focus will be whether these thundery outbursts develops.'

He added that today we will see highs of around 30C or 31C with the south coast and Midlands expected to see the highest temperatures.

So far, 13 people have died swimming in open waters since the heatwave began - four in disused quarries.

The prediction of 35C (95F) next week was made by forecasters MeteoGroup. It tweeted: 'Mid-30s possible next week' - making the UK hotter than anywhere in Europe and even more so than Greece or Italy.

Britain last saw temperatures this high in 2006, when 36.3C (97.3F) was recorded at Charlwood, Surrey - breaking a century-old record.

The hottest temperature recorded yesterday was 30.4C (86.7F) in Herne, Dorset - making it the 13th consecutive day that the mercury has topped 28C (82F) and the sixth that it has topped 30C (86F).

But there may finally be a good reason to be thankful for last year's washout summer. It has kept supplies so high that there are no plans by water companies for rationing or a hosepipe ban.

The level three weather alert was extended to include South-West England and the West Midlands, as well as the South East and London.

In East Grinstead, East Sussex, a four-week-old baby had to be treated for sunburn in a hospital's specialist burns unit.

The child, who has not been identified, is one of ten children treated at Queen Victoria Hospital for burns caused by the hot weather.

Yesterday daredevils decided to leap in a canal and cool off in Blackburn, Lancashire, despite warnings that they are dicing with death.

The group, mostly aged in their early 20s, decided to cool off in the canal as temperatures in the north hit 27C. Police said the swimmers were 'daft' and warned that the action posed 'obvious' dangers.

Blackburn Inspector Abid Khan said: 'It is very dangerous. The water isn't clear and you often can't see what's in there, among the many other risks.

'It is daft. No police officer wants to tell a family their loved one has been killed doing something silly. I know it might look very enticing but go to a proper pool where there are rescue facilities.'

Three newborn snow leopard cubs not accustomed to hot weather have emerged from their enclosure for the first time in Winchester, Hampshire.

The triplets seemed to be enjoying their surroundings as they climbed rocks and had a play fight with mother, Irina, at Marwell Wildlife Park.

As Britain basks in the summer heat, a Christmas shop has opened in Truro, Cornwall, selling nativity sets, decorations and advent calendars.

The shop, leased by Truro Cathedral, will be opened later by its dean, the Very Reverend Roger Bush.

He admitted it seemed 'a bit odd' to have a shop bedecked with Christmas items in the middle of July.

'We've had a successful Christmas shop within the cathedral for many years and we've found, oddly enough, that during the summer months when we get more visitors, people want to buy good quality Christmas products,' he said.

I know it looks a bit odd, culturally, to have Christmas things in the middle of perhaps the hottest time we've had for many years, but we do believe there is a demand for this.'