London saw its hottest ever June day on Friday as a blistering heatwave took temperatures to a high of 36.4C.
The temperature recorded at Heathrow beat the previous record of 35.6C in Camden in 1957.
Meanwhile, a new UK June heat record was set in Wattisham in Suffolk, which reached 37.3C on Friday afternoon.
A red heat health warning was in place for London until 9pm.
The heatwave has impacted hundreds of schools, shops and offices in the capital, with many closing on the hottest days.
It also caused disruption on the railways, with multiple train operators urging passengers not to travel.
Scientists warned that the current heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events.
Health chiefs warned of the impact the conditions are having on services this week as they face significantly more life-threatening emergency calls.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said: “Today marks the peak of the heatwave in terms of temperatures and the third consecutive day of record-breaking June heat.
“This exceptional heat has been unprecedented for June and is another marker on how climate change is shifting the dial on temperature extremes in the UK.”
Amid the heatwave, a Labour MP issued a direct appeal to Sir Sadiq Khan to ramp up the rollout of air conditioning on the Tube.
Uma Kumaran, Labour MP for Stratford and Bow, put out a video clip to highlight the baking conditions on London’s public transport.
“I’m on the DLR. I’m very, very grateful for the breeze because London is absolutely cooking right now,” she said.
She added: “Mayor of London, this is asking you, please put air con on the train.”
