Man rescued from tiny dinghy

A diving team from Dorset have rescued a tourist trying to sail to Ireland in an inflatable dingy. The American, who only had one oar and a sail made from a piece of sheeting, was found a few miles out to sea off Weymouth.

Fred and Stacey spoke to Nigel Holder, one of the team that rescued him.

A man attempting to sail from Dorset to Ireland in an inflatable dinghy has been rescued. Portland Coastguard received a call just after 3pm yesterday reporting concern for the man in the six foot blow-up vessel, floating south of Durdle Door.

Having first refused help, he was then rescued by a local dive ship and taken into Lulworth Cove where he was met by coastguards, police and paramedics. He received treatment for a high degree of sunburn

Portland Coastguard said that the man was fortunate to be spotted and rescued.

A man attempting to sail from Dorset to Ireland in an inflatable dinghy has been rescued.

Portland Coastguard received a call just after 3pm yesterday reporting concern for the man in the six foot blow-up vessel, floating around 2.7 nautical miles south of Durdle Door.

He was heading to Ireland with just two paddles - one used as a mast accompanied by a plastic sheet as a sail, the other as a rudder to steer.

Having first refused help, he was then rescued by a local dive ship and taken into Lulworth Cove where he was met by coastguards, police and paramedics.

He received treatment for a high degree of sunburn. It later transpired that the man left Osmington Mills at 9am that morning.

The south and south east will continue to bask in sunshine and soaring temperatures today as the heatwave shows no sign of abating, forecasters said.

The country experienced the hottest day of the year so far yesterday, with the mercury hitting 32.2C (90F).

Temperatures are expected to hit 30C (86F) again today, according to the Press Association.

A level three heat health watch has been put in place with the elderly and young, and those with chronic health conditions, urged to take extra care.

Forecasters have said Britain is in the midst of its first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 30C (86F).

And it is set to continue into next week, with temperatures in the high 20s at the weekend before rising to 30C and above next week - bringing with it an increased risk of thunderstorms.

Kent Police is warning dog owners they could be prosecuted if they leave their pets in hot vehicles.

Pet owners have a legal duty of care for their animals and officers say they are urging them to "think twice" before leaving their pets in cars during the current heat wave.

On Tuesday alone, Kent Police say they received reports of five different dogs left in cars in sweltering temperatures.

One dog was found in a distressed state in a car in Ashford. The window had been left partially open but it was not enough to cool soaring temperatures inside.

The dog had to be rescued with the assistance of Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the RSPCA.

Motorists are also reminded that leaving car windows open could attract opportunist thieves.

As the warm weather reaches the dizzy heights of 30 degrees, zoo keepers at Drusillas Park in Alfriston are handing out ice lollies - to keep the animals cool.

The giant lollipops have been served up to many of the zoo’s exotic residents including this Sulawesi black crested macaque eating layers of beetroot, kiwi, orange, plum and yoghurt.

For the red-handed tamarins and emperor tamarins a more fruity frost was provided containing blueberries, raspberries, apples and herbs.

Zoo Manager Sue Woodgate said: “We are keeping a close eye on all our animals to make sure they are all right in the lovely warm weather.

"We are also paying particular attention to our animals with pale skins, such as our llamas and pigs, who like our keepers need to wear plenty of sun cream to stop their skin from burning.”

The heat is being blamed for a dramatic rise in the number of 999 ambulance calls - thousands of which are totally unnecessary. It means the service is being stretched the limit and real emergencies could take longer to respond to.

Last weekend there were almost 4,500 calls in our region alone and over 3,000 of those were not life threatening.

Tonight, we spoke to Neil Cook from the ambulance service about the problem.

The hayfever season is in full swing with many people saying this year it's worse than ever. The heatwave is obviously a factor but there's other reason's why more of us are being affected by pollen.

So how are sufferers coping with the symptoms. Andrew Pate has been to find out.

Officials sent out health warnings for the South East today as Britain continued to swelter in the country's first heatwave for seven years.

After five consecutive days basking in 30C plus temperatures, the Met Office issued a "level three heat health watch" for the region.

Level three warnings are only one notch below the most serious alerts and are put out when high temperatures place the very young, the very old and those with chronic diseases at risk.

Forecasters said today could again break the record for the warmest day of the year, with temperatures expected to creep up as high as 32C (89.7F) in parts of England.

Gemma Plumb, forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "There is no proper definition of 'heatwave' in the UK - but we are undoubtedly in the midst of one now.

"It is the longest period of hot weather since 2006, with prolonged temperatures above the average for the time of year."

Sun-worshippers can expect to enjoy balmy Britain for a while yet.

Miss Plumb added: "At the moment it looks as though the warm weather is going to stay well into next week at least."