Forecasters warn another heatwave possible this week

BRITAIN is braced for another heatwave that will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35°C expected this week, forecasters have said.

Temperatures over the coming days will remain lower than last month’s scorching 40.3°C but the dry weather will continue over a “prolonged period”, the Met Office has said.

The whole of England and Wales is likely to see sunshine and dry conditions this week as high pressure builds across the UK.

It comes after Sunday brought wall-to-wall sunshine for most of Britain, with a high of 28.1°C recorded in Frittenden, Kent.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “It will be a lot of sunshine for a vast majority of the UK and also temperatures rising day after day.

“Not everyone will initially see those sunny conditions, but towards the end of the week even Scotland and Northern Ireland will join the rest of the UK in having generally fine, sunny and very warm if not hot conditions. It does look like a prolonged period of dry weather.

“In terms of temperatures we’re looking at them build from 28°C or 29°C tomorrow to the low to mid 30s from Thursday onwards, so a fairly widespread heatwave developing across the UK this week.

“The peak of the temperatures look likely to occur on Friday or Saturday.”

Mr Morgan said the West Midlands and West Country could see the highest temperatures.

He added: “The heatwave we saw at the end of July, that was relatively short-lived and saw exceptionally high, record-breakingly high temperatures.

“We’re quite confident temperatures will not go as high, but the difference is that this is going to be quite a prolonged period of temperatures in the low 30s, so it will be very notable nonetheless.”

Welsh Water has also announced a hosepipe ban for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire later this month.