Met Office confirms hottest day of the year so far as temperatures hit 28 degrees

As the temperature hit 28C making today the hottest day of the year, ITV News' Rupert Evelyn reports.

Forecasters have confirmed that Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far after the mercury hits 28 degrees in London.

The Met Office tracked the UK's hottest spot to St James Park, while Stornoway in the Western Isles was the coldest topping out at just 12 degrees.

Later in the week, parts of the UK could hit highs of 34C, again breaking the record for hottest day of the year.

It means parts of the UK will be warmer than Greek Islands Santorini, Mykonos and Zakynthos – as well as Los Angeles and parts of Barbados.

The Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued a level 2 heat-health alert for a large part of southern and central England, with a level 1 alert in place for northern England.

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Forecasters have said some parts of England may experience a heatwave later this week, though it is likely to be short-lived.

On the four-level heat-health alert scale, which is designed to help healthcare workers manage through periods of extreme temperatures, level 1 is the lowest warning and is the minimum state of vigilance used during the summer months.

Level 2, called alert and readiness, is triggered as soon there is a 60% risk that temperature thresholds will be reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night.

A heatwave is defined as three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold.

While the increase in warm weather over the years in the UK has been linked to climate change, the Met Office has warned describing the sweltering conditions as “rare” for June.

Met Office Senior Meteorologist, Becky Mitchell told ITV News: "The high temperatures that we are seeing this week are due to a mixture of built up high pressure over the Atlantic and low pressure winds blowing the hot air across England, France and much of Spain.

"Temperatures may hit as high as 34C later on in the week around London, something that has only happened five times before since 1961.

"This kind of weather will only become more common, especially with the effects of global warming."