Summer-time revelry is set to continue as temperatures hit 30C as Britain records its third heatwave of the year

Parts of Britain are set to sizzle in 30C heat again today as the UK continues to bask in its third heatwave of the year.

The scorching temperatures are a slight climb-down from the searing 33C recorded yesterday in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, yesterday afternoon, but continue to mark what has been a red-hot summer thus far in the UK.

Scotland yesterday recorded its warmest day of the year with 32C reached in Aviemore in the Highlands, while areas like Belfast in Northern Ireland were as hot as they had been in almost three years.

And by this afternoon, temperatures in cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester look set to smash the 30C mark again as the relentless heat continues to scorch the UK.

Met Office Meteorologist, Kathyrn Chalk, told MailOnline that temperatures could even reach 31C around the West Country.

Amber health alerts are in place for the Midlands and the south and east of England until 9am on Monday, which warn of a potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

The risk of wildfires in London is also currently rated at ‘severe’ by the Natural Hazards Partnership, while six million homes have been hit with a hosepipe ban as fire chiefs warn of the risk of drowning as people try to cool off in water.

On top of the amber alerts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has yellow warnings in place until Monday for the north east, north west and Yorkshire and Humber.

National Rail has also warned train passengers that the hot weather may continue to cause disruption today. 

Further north , temperatures do begin to cool slightly this afternoon with areas like Newcastle forecasted to hit a more manageable 22C.

In Glasgow, this looks set to rise to 26C but along the M8 motorway to Edinburgh it is expected that this will drop to around 22C.

Cardiff is also expected to be scorched again today with 30C forecast in the Welsh capital, while in Belfast temperatures could reach 26C. 

But today does appear to signal the last day of the UK’s third heatwave of the year for most of Britain, with Met Office forecasters predicting that temperatures will largely cool next week in areas outside London.

While the English capital will still be in the high 20s, cities like Liverpool and Newcastle are predicted to see heavy downpours early next week with maximum temperatures across the Midlands and north west being around 25C.

Ms Chalk said: ‘The good news if you aren’t a fan of the heat, is that the peak of the heatwave nationwide was yesterday with temperatures still widely warm today, just not as hot. Highs of 31C with plenty of sunshine.

‘Low pressure moves in from the west with showers, and a few thunderstorms, pushing northeast through the day interspersed by sunny spells. Cooler and fresher air follows from the west, but still warm in parts of the east with highs of 30C here. Elsewhere closer to average around 22-24C.

‘A changeable period with rain and showers, heavy at times, mixed between sunnier and brighter spells. Fresher air reaching all on Tuesday with near average temperatures, then becoming warmer again later in the week but not as high as what we have seen this time round. Perhaps 30C again by Friday for London.’

With the warm weather still around today, Ross Macleod, Water Safety Manager from the RNLI, warned of the dangers of cooling off in cold water and offered advice if doing so.

He said: ‘Even in hot weather, the seas around our coasts are cold enough year-round to trigger cold water shock, while waves and rip currents can overpower even the most experienced water users. 

‘Most people who find themselves in difficulty in water will panic or thrash about but we’re urging people to ignore this instinct and remember to float: Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally. Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. It’s fine if your legs sink – we all float differently. 

‘By doing this, you give yourself the chance to rest and recover your breathing. Once you’ve regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety.

‘Heading to the coast is a great way to have fun, relax and cool off in these high temperatures, but remembering this one piece of advice could save your life if you find yourself struggling in water.

‘We also encourage people to choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags, which is the area most closely monitored by the lifeguards.’

Next week’s cooler temperatures looks set to mark the end of the third heatwave, and scientists warning the latest searing temperatures have been made 100 times more likely because of human-made climate change.

They say heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, and experts have warned heatwaves are ‘silent killers’, with the impacts of heat severely underestimated.

They also say that the UK is unprepared for the rising risk of extremely hot conditions that climate change is bringing – especially earlier in the summer, when people are less acclimatised to coping with it.

Dr Friederike Otto, associate professor at Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, previously said climate change was an ‘absolute game-changer’ for heat in Europe, making heat waves more frequent and more intense.

‘Heat waves are called the silent killer, for a reason, every year thousands of people in Europe die due to extreme heat, particularly those that live in poorly insulated homes, on busy, polluted roads, and that already have health problems,’ she said.

‘But extreme heat also leads to agricultural losses, infrastructure failure and puts a big strain on plants and animals.’

Conservationists and green experts have also previously warned of the wildfire risk of the heatwave as well as the impact on farmers, who face another poor harvest following one of the driest springs on record.

Meanwhile retailers warned that fruit and vegetable prices in Britain were increasing due to the hot and dry weather reducing harvest yields.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said this jump had contributed to shop prices having returned to inflation for the first time in almost a year.

Overall shop prices were 0.4 per cent higher in June than a year earlier – a significant jump from the decline of 0.1 per cent seen in May, according to the BRC-NIQ Shop Price Index.

Food inflation increased to 3.7 per cent from May’s 2.8 per cent in May, while fresh food was 3.2 per cent more expensive than a year ago.

Meat prices have also been hit by high wholesale prices and more expensive labour costs.

In terms of wildfires, Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust, said: ‘With record-breaking temperatures across the country this week following the driest spring on record, our ranger and countryside teams are on high alert for fires which can cause decades of damage to habitats, decimate ecosystems and result in significant losses to our wildlife.

‘Unfortunately, the sad truth is that most of the fires in the UK that impact our landscapes are started by people, whether accidentally or not, rather than by natural causes.

‘Therefore, we’re calling on people to help us protect wildlife and habitats by acting responsibly when outdoors, as even a small spark can cause a fire, and to please call 999 if you see a fire or any suspicious behaviour.’