An amber weather warning for extreme heat has been extended into next week, the Met Office announced on Tuesday, amid predictions the mercury could pass 40C.
The weather agency said that its warning, which initially covered Sunday from 12.01 am to 11.59pm, will now run until 11.59pm on Monday.
There is a 30 per cent chance that Sunday will be the hottest day ever recorded in the UK, with temperatures expected to rise into the high 30s. It is possible that the mercury could rise above the record 38.7C reported at Cambridge Botanic Garden in July 2019.
Ministers are reportedly drawing up plans for Britain’s first national heatwave emergency response, with a Cobra meeting held at Downing Street on Monday ahead of the week’s extreme weather.
The Government could declare a national emergency if temperatures continue to climb, the Telegraph reports.
A national emergency is called when hot weather is so extreme that “illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy”, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
A UKHSA spokesman told the newspaper: “There’s a possibility of a level four heatwave. If it gets above 40C, then it is likely to be a level four heatwave for the first time.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t be in those temperatures.”
A national emergency would also threaten food supplies, disruption to roads and rail services and could prompt the closure of schools.
The Met Office warning will be enforced across the East Midlands, east of England, London, South East, North East, North West, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.
Weather forecasting models suggest it is possible that temperatures could reach 40C in the UK this weekend.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Parts of south-east England could exceed 35C on Sunday.
“At the moment, we are looking at a 30 per cent chance of seeing the hottest temperature recorded in the UK.”
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, urged Britons not to panic.
He told the Telegraph: “This is not a brave new world but a cowardly new world where we live in a country where we are frightened of the heat. It is not surprising that in snowflake Britain, the snowflakes are melting. Thankfully, most of us are not snowflakes.
“The idea that we clamour for hot weather for most of the year and then shut down when it does heat up is indicative of the state in which we now live.”
