GRITTERS have been deployed in the Borders as Scotland braces for the hottest day of the year so far.
The move from Scottish Borders Council comes after the extreme heat was reported to have damaged roads in the area, with some reaching 52C.
The B6362 Lauder to Stow road is currently closed because of heat damage.
Chief executive at Scottish Borders Council, David Robertson, said they were expecting temperatures to reach 31C in Newcastleton and Hawick, adding: "If you see the gritters, it's not the council being daft, it's us actually trying to protect the road surface.
"We're providing a fine layer of sand to prevent the melting of the tar.
"What we're seeing is ambient road temperatures at the height of the heat up in the 40s, and that causes the tar on the roads to melt."
Dumfries and Galloway Council has asked residents to "spare a thought for our frontline staff" who are wearing personal protective equipment in the heat.
For a heatwave to be declared in Scotland, temperatures must reach 25C for three consecutive days in the same area.
Temperatures reached a high of 29.4C at Dyce in Aberdeen on Tuesday, according to Met Office data, and the high 20Cs in large parts of the country.
Forecasters predict temperatures may rise into the low 30Cs in some areas on Thursday, potentially breaking the record June temperature for Scotland of 32.3C, which was recorded at Ochtertyre in Perthshire on June 18, 1893.
However the weather is set to change dramatically as rainier conditions sweep in from the north west and a thunderstorm warning has been issued.
Dr Vikki Thompson, climate scientist at the University of Edinburgh, said the current heatwave had come in from the tropical Atlantic, adding: "This year and next year are expected to be particularly hot because of the conditions in the tropical Pacific, it is priming the UK and Europe for more heatwaves this year.
"The infrastructure in Scotland is set up for the climate of the past and not the climate of the present and the future that we are seeing.
"So we will start to see buildings, infrastructure like hospitals and schools, struggling to keep the indoor temperature down to safe levels."
