Is our hottest day ever steaming in?

SUNBLOCK ALERT

EVERYONE should slather on sunblock of at least SPF30, scientists say, after research revealed users get less than half of any protection because they apply it too thinly.

The British Association of Dermatologists said: “An SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 should be sufficient but in real-world situations we need the additional protection.” The King’s College London research is in the journal Acta D-V. BRITAIN could be baking in its hottest day ever by Friday with the sizzling heatwave set to last until mid-August.

The Met office is predicting 97F (36C) by the end of the week with a chance of beating the UK’s highest temperature ever recorded – 101.3F in Faversham, Kent, in 2003.

And there is a bonus for beach lovers with some sea temperatures higher than those in California.

At 70F, Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex beats Zuma Beach – and even Morecambe Bay and Skegness are more like bath water at over 66F.

Meteorologist Bonnie Diamond said: “Temperatures in the South and East will be 93F or even 97F is possible, particularly on Friday. And there’s certainly a possibility we could challenge the 2003 record.

“Elsewhere it will be warm and above average but nowhere near as hot as the South-east.”

She said there would be a slight breakdown at the weekend with fresher air, but the heat will ramp up again next week.

She added: “There are signs that the high pressure will re-establish itself and could continue until at least the middle of August.”

A level-three health alert is already in place for some areas as the whole northern hemisphere swelters under the burning sun, affecting health and crops and causing deadly wildfires such as those in Athens. Japan has seen record highs of 106F and Scandinavia has seen temperatures top 86F in the Arctic Circle.

Britain has also had the driest half of summer on record with just 1.85in of rain between June 1 and July 16.

The Met Office said several places have had 54 consecutive dry days – the longest spell since 1969, when 70 days passed with no significant rainfall.

But the Met Office’s Professor Peter Stott said climate models had been predicting an increase in extremely hot spells for more than a decade. He added: “It’s coming true before our eyes.”

The good news is that English vineyards predict a bumper crop.