‘I wear a wet T-shirt with the fan on’: readers on coping with the heat

A man uses an envelope to shield himself from the sun in Chinatown, London, as temperatures surpass 40C. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

The UK has set a new temperature record as the sweltering heatwave entered a second day and further highs of up to 41C (106F) were forecast.

The mercury reached 40.2C at Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon and a Met Office red warning for extreme heat was in force across swathes of England.