UK weather: Britain set for fourth successive hottest day of year, with 'blue skies to last through weekend'

Fire chiefs warn moorland blazes could last for weeks as dry, hot weather continues

Blue skies and warm weather are expected to last into the weekend as temperatures in Britain soar further after the third successive hottest day of the year.

Forecasters said the mercury would likely peak at 32C in parts of England on Thursday as the heatwave which has prompted health warnings and fuelled wildfires continues.

Temperatures of 31.9C were recorded in Porthmadog, north-west Wales, on Wednesday, topping the 30.7C clocked in Rostherne, Cheshire, the previous day.

Monday had previously been the hottest day of the year after 29.4C was recorded in St James’s Park, London.

The Met Office said temperatures may cool slightly at the weekend but no rain was yet on the horizon.

“Over the next few days the high pressure will remain so there will be blue skies across the UK and that will last certainly into the weekend,” a spokesman said.

“We may see some thunderstorms on Sunday or Monday but nothing’s certain.

“But we can expect these sorts of high temperatures to be reached certainly until Saturday.”

Fire chiefs warned a sprawling blaze which has spread across Saddleworth Moor this week could last for weeks if the dry, hot weather continues.

More than 100 soldiers have been drafted in to help firefighters who have been battling the wildfire over seven square miles of the Pennines since Sunday. The fire has forced the evacuation of dozens of homes.

Tony Hunter, assistant chief fire officer of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have not seen an indication of any rain coming within the next couple of days stroke weeks, so we can see this being prolonged for days, if not weeks.

“It is dependent on a downpour of rain – and it would have to be a significant downpour of rain because it is so dry it would be absorbed very, very quickly.

“If there is a change in wind to the opposite direction, it is a completely different picture then in terms of the fuel available to this fire.”

The scorching temperatures have also prompted police warnings over cooling off in open water after four people died swimming.

The body of a 17-year-old boy was recovered from the River Aire in Leeds in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a search and rescue operation. He is believed to have gone swimming on Tuesday evening.

Police divers also found the body of 13-year-old Ryan Evans in Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday, three days after police said he was seen in “distress” in the water.

A 31-year-old man also drowned after getting into difficulty in a lake in Nutfield, Surrey, on Monday, hours after a woman drowned swimming in the sea off Eastbourne.

The Royal Life Saving Society warned hot weather often brought “a tragic amount of preventable deaths as people flocked to open water sites not suitable for swimming”.

“These sites included rivers, quarries, lakes and reservoirs – all of which have many dangers including very cold water, currents, obstacles and uneven depths. They look so inviting but can be deadly,” said Mike Dunn, the charity’s director of research and education.

The RSPCA also called on pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals in the heat, revealing it received 625 calls about animals in hot environments between 11 and 24 June.

Most of the calls, which equate to almost two an hour, were about dogs in hot cars.

A spokeswoman said: “The charity’s key advice [is] to call the police on 999 in the event of an emergency.”

Commuters have also endured delays on trains as speed limits are imposed due to overheating tracks.

Network Rail’s extreme weather action teams have been mobilised across the country to monitor “vulnerable locations”.

Hot weather could cause the steel on rails to expand and in some cases buckle. Slower trains exert lower forces on the track, reducing the likelihood of damage.