Britain’s hotter than Africa

As bathing deer turn London park into the Kalahari ...

A HERD of deer cool off in a lake, elephants wallow in the shallows and a fire rips through grasslands.

But this is not Africa – it was Britain yesterday as the country baked in the hottest day of the year so far.

That record won’t stand for long as today temperatures are predicted to soar even higher... and stay that way for the rest of the week.

Yesterday it was 29.5C (85.1F) in central London, and today parts of the country are likely to be hotter than the capitals of Cameroon and Kenya.

The Met Office said it could reach 30C (86F) in Herefordshire, the West Midlands and parts of north-west England, with 27-28C (81-82F) forecast in London and the South East.

In Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, temperatures will reach 27C ( 81F) today. In Nairobi, Kenya, it will be a mere 20C (68F). The Met Office said temperatures will remain in the high 20s and possibly nudge 30C in Britain over the coming days.

Business leaders said the hot spell was providing a muchneeded boost for high streets after shoppers were put off by a harsh end to the winter.

Tej Parikh, of the Institute of Directors, said: ‘ With warm weather and events such as the royal wedding in May, we have already had a strong set of retail data and we are expecting the trend to continue.’

However, the highest pollen counts in a decade could cause discomfort for hay fever sufferers.

And Public Health England has warned that ‘older people, those with underlying health conditions and young children’ could be ‘at risk’ from the heat. The Met Office urged people to use sunscreen if heading outdoors for long periods.

Yesterday the Peak District National Park authority warned that dropping litter or cigarette ends and lighting barbecues or bonfires could cause wildfires.

A large blaze – which could be seen 15 miles away in Manchester – had broken out on Saddleworth Moor but was later brought under control.

Great Western Railway also issued warnings of potential delays due to rails overheating and ‘buckling’ in the heatwave. It added that its trains would travel at a reduced speed as a result.