GRIP OF HEATWAVE

heatwave could turn out to be the most intense in 15 years, with temperatures around 8°C above the seasonal average — 39°C in Milan and up to 30°C in the Alps at an altitude of 1,000m.

Britain saw its first five-day stretch of temperatures over 30°C in June since 1995 — and the thermometer hit 33.9°C in west London, a United Kingdom record for the month since 1976.

In Guildford, southwest of the capital, a road surface melted on Tuesday, with motorists likening it to a bar of chocolate left out in the hot sun.

At the prestigious Royal Ascot horse races, organisers said they were considering relaxing its strict dress code for the first time.

Music lovers in France are also braving the heat, as the annual Fete de la Musique — a nationwide celebration with thousands of free street performances — kicked off under an official heatwave declared across many areas of the country.

The national postal service announced that its postmen would be calling on elderly and disabled residents living alone to check they were all right, with Paris sweltering in 37°C heat.

In Nantes, a bevy of male bus and tram drivers made headlines with an unusual protest against a ban on their wearing shorts — skirting the rules, literally.

“Our managers say shorts are not suitable for our profession. We’ve opted for provocation by coming in skirts, which are allowed for female drivers,” said driver Didier Sauvetre, one of around half a dozen baring their legs.

A peak in pollution linked to the heat prompted police in Paris to reduce speed limits in some areas and divert heavy goods trucks, with the most polluting vehicles banned from the capital yesterday.

On Tuesday, the body of a 31year-old man was pulled out of Loire River in Tours after he got dragged down by the current while trying to cool down.

In Russia, Siberia was also suffering a heatwave, with temperatures of up to 37°C in the city of Krasnoyarsk, Channel One television reported.

But at the other extreme, it was just 1°C and snowing in Murmansk, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Many residents are having to get by with no heating in their flats as centralised systems have been switched off for the summer. AFP

Agency pix (Clockwise, top left) Young men cooling themselves by jumping into the Aare River in Bern, Switzerland, on Wednesday. People refreshing themselves in the Trocadero Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, on Monday. Yozhik, a male Himalayan...