Heat warning issued for London and South East as temperatures soar
Tap above to watch video report by Sangeeta Kandola
Temperatures reached 28.5C in London on Friday, making the capital hotter than Saint Tropez, Santorini and Los Angeles.
Visitors to St James’ Park basked in the first day of a heatwave that's set to continue into next week and potentially beyond, with the UK Health Agency issuing a level 2 heat-health alert for London and the South East.
The warning runs from 9am on Monday 11 July through to 9am on Friday 15 July.
"It's nice to have it so hot - we've taken a half day off work to play rounders together," one Londoner told ITV News.
ITV meteorologist Chris Page explained: "We do get these very hot spells during the summer months and this heatwave that's likely to last into next week is not unusual, however, the frequency of these heatwaves and how high those temperatures are getting is unusual and that's something that's due to climate change.
"As we go into the future - the following century - these kind of temperatures and longevity is going to continue and increase."
The Met Office’s definition of a heatwave is when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures reaching or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold, which varies by UK county.
The hottest day of the year so far was during the last heatwave on June 17, less than three weeks ago, when a temperature of 32.7C (90F) was reached.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...