To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedElla Kipling and Anna Lamche24 June 2026Updated 1 hour agoThe UK has experienced its hottest June day on record after temperatures soared to 36.1C (97F) in Gosport, Hampshire, on Wednesday afternoon.Hundreds of schools shut across England and Wales and transport has also been disrupted, with train passengers advised to avoid all non-essential travel.The heatwave is forecast to continue into Friday, with a further high of about 38C possible, the Met Office said.A red extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office across parts of south and central England and south Wales remains in place until 23:59 BST on Thursday.Wednesday’s high came between 15:00 and 16:00, breaking the previous June record of 35.6C recorded in Southampton in 1976 and Camden in 1957.This new record is described as “provisional” by the Met Office, which now has to conduct checks to ensure the measurement is reliable.The next highest temperatures of the day were all recorded in southern England, including Wisley, Surrey, on 36C, Wiggonholt, West Sussex, on 35.9C, and Charlwood, Surrey, on 35.7C. And Wales had its hottest day of the year so far, with a high of 33.3C at Cardiff Bute Park.A searing 3 hours agoWhy this heatwave feels worse than the last one15 hours agoThe UK’s summers are getting hotter – but how prepared are we?1 day agoCan you keep your kids off school or refuse to work during a heatwave?1 day agoRed heat alerts issued in France, Italy and Spain as 40C temperatures forecast2 days agoMatthew Lehnert, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said high humidity meant the heat would feel “much more potent”.Parts of the UK are also set to experience “tropical nights”, which occur when night-time temperatures stay above 20C.The Met Office has warned that the weather could result in “population-wide adverse health effects”, leading to serious illness or danger to life.Changes in working practices will be required, and there will be “significantly more” people visiting coastal areas and lakes, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents.It comes as a major rescue operation was initiated in Hampshire after a 15-year-old boy went missing while swimming in a nature reserve lake.Several people stranded in traffic on the M25 near Godstone in Surrey after a crash are being treated for heat-related illnesses, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.Train operators including South Western Railway, Thameslink, Northern and Avanti West Coast have asked people to make only essential journeys and have put reduced timetables in place. Transport for London warned passengers that “very high temperatures“ might cause disruption to some Tube and rail services.PABBC NewsbeatThe heat has affected working people across the country. Telecoms engineer Jake Bird told the BBC how he was preparing for a week of high temperatures in his job, which requires him to climb telephone poles in PPE and a harness.The 21-year-old has decided to keep working as he is self-employed but said he would take strategic cooling breaks.The engineer, from Oxfordshire, said: “Here it’s going to be 36 degrees and that is just insane, especially going up a pole in all that kit and everything. It’s just going to be absolutely dreadful.”Bricklayer Elijah told BBC Newsbeat he tried to “keep the complaining [about the heat] to a minimum because about 10 months of the year, you’re in rain and the cold”.But he admitted the heat was a “lot to deal with”, so his team in London had been starting work earlier than normal and finishing by midday. He also gives his employees water and ice lollies to keep them cool.For 17-year-old ice …
