Britain is bracing for another heatwave that will outlast July’s record heatwave, with highs of up to 35C expected over the next week, forecasters have said.
Temperatures over the next few days will remain below the 40.3C reached in July, the hottest temperature on record, but the heatwave will continue for a “prolonged period”, the Met Office said.
People have been urged not to have barbecues in drought conditions after people from 15 homes were evacuated after a garden fire spread out of control in Essex.
Essex County Fire and Rescue said about 40 people were forced to flee properties after a fire damaged more than a dozen homes Saturday.
Neil Fenwick, the service’s area manager, said: “While the summer weather often provides the perfect opportunity to organize a barbecue or gather around a fire in the evening, we strongly advise against people who have any kind of fire at this time.
“The ground across Essex is extremely dry, which allows fires to spread easily and quickly.”
The fire service also warned against lighting fireworks or sky lanterns, which could spark a large-scale fire in parched areas.
The hot weather is likely to continue across England and Wales next week as pressure builds across the UK.
Parts of north-west Scotland may be cloudier and windier until Wednesday, but sunshine is expected across the country by the end of the week.
It comes after Sunday brought wall-to-wall sunshine across most of Britain, with a high of 28.1C recorded in Frittenden, Kent.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “There will be plenty of sunshine for the vast majority of the UK and temperatures will also rise day by day.
“Not everyone will see these sunny conditions initially, but towards the end of the week even Scotland and Northern Ireland will join the rest of the UK in generally good, sunny conditions and very warm if not hot.
“It looks like an extended period of dry weather and obviously that’s bad news for the south of England where a bit of rain would really help now.
“In terms of temperatures, we’re seeing them build from 28-29C tomorrow to the low to mid-30s from Thursday, so a fairly widespread heatwave develops across the UK this week.
“The peak temperatures look likely to occur on Friday or Saturday.”
Mr Morgan said the West Midlands and West Country could see the hottest temperatures, with a forecast maximum of around 35C, but added that this was still uncertain.
He added: “The heat wave we saw at the end of July was relatively short and saw exceptionally high and record temperatures.
“We’re pretty sure the temperatures won’t be as high as during July, but the difference is that it’s going to be quite a prolonged period of temperatures in the 30s, so it’s going to be very noticeable nonetheless.
“Heatwave criteria are likely to be met in many parts of the UK and there will certainly be some adverse impacts from heatwave exhaustion, dehydration etc, so we anticipate some potentially adverse effects on the NHS and the most vulnerable people who have heat. related problems during this time period.”
The Met Office has urged people to take precautions to avoid overheating, including closing curtains and windows during the day and avoiding the midday sun.
The UK Environment Secretary has urged more water companies to impose hose bans during an unusually dry August.
George Eustice said some businesses had already taken steps “correctly” to mitigate the effects of the prolonged dry weather as he encouraged others to follow suit.
His remarks, the first public intervention by a minister, raise the possibility of restrictions on watering gardens, washing cars or filling swimming pools with hoses for millions more people in the south of England in the coming days.
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Southern Water has already imposed a pipe ban for customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, followed a week later for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex.
Welsh Water has also announced a ban in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire later this month.