Dramatic pictures show the moment two police officers broke into a ‘blazing hot’ car to free two sweltering dogs.
The Labrador-type pets had been left locked in a vehicle at a car park at York Hospital in the city centre for 30 minutes yesterday.
The two officers at the scene said they could feel the heat coming from the car during their rescue operation as temperatures in Britain peaked at 86.2F (30.1C).
They even said they ‘struggled to breathe’ when they were inside the car for just 30 seconds after they broke in.
Pictures taken at the scene show the moment two officers smashed the window of the car to get to the dogs
The police told how they were left with no option but to smash the window of the car to get to the distressed animals.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed today no-one has been arrested over the incident, and the investigations were being carried out by the RSPCA.
A spokesman for the RSPCA confirmed the dogs are now in their care.
It said in a statement: ‘We were called to York Hospital car park yesterday afternoon to reports of two dogs left inside a stationary car.
‘When we arrived police had already removed two Labradors from the vehicle.
The two Labrador-type dogs were then taken in by the local RSPCA where they were given cool baths
‘The dogs were taken to the vets for treatment for heat exhaustion and now remain in RSPCA care.
‘An investigation has been launched so we cannot comment any further at this time.’
The rescue operation came as the nation baked in 86.2F heat yesterday, with the deadly heatwave claiming two lives in separate swimming tragedies.
The heatwave continued today with the mercury expected to hit 91F, making parts of the country hotter than Athens and Rio de Janeiro.
The two dogs were taken in by the local RSPCA where they were given cool baths. The RSPCA has indicated that it intends to prosecute the owners.
The smashed window of the car in York city centre after the rescue operation
In a tweet, North Yorkshire Police said: ‘There is no excuse for this, I am utterly appalled.
‘Officers were in that car for thirty seconds and were struggling to breathe so goodness knows what these poor animals were going through.’
The top temperature yesterday was 86.2F (30.1C) at Hampton in South West London, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
The two Labrador-type dogs were then taken in by the local RSPCA where they were given cool baths. The RSPCA has indicated their intention to prosecute the owners.
According to the RSPCA, dogs should never ever be left alone in cars on warm days.
A spokesman said: ‘A car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn’t feel that warm.
‘When it’s 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour.’
The heatwave is showing no signs of stopping as the record for 2018 was broken for the second day in a row.
A high of 30.2C (86.4F) was recorded in Hawarden in north Wales, beating the 30.1C that was set on Monday.
People relax in the sunshine on the beach in Brighton, Sussex, a favourite hotspot for sunseekers throughout the summer
Five friends enjoy a soak in the pool at Hathersage swimming pool, in Derbyshire, with the cool water providing relief from the summer rays
Commuters on a packed tube train deal with high temperatures during a hot day in London, with temperatures set to soar throughout the week
Families packed out beaches and parks this afternoon as the country enjoys the first of what experts believe will be eight heatwaves set to roast the UK this summer.
Motorways have melted under the heat and rail providers warned of speed restrictions amid concerns that tracks will buckle in the sweltering conditions.
South Western Railway customers are facing four days of disruption as it warned that passengers travelling through London’s major transport hub at Waterloo would be delayed by the restrictions.
People cool off with a swim at Hathersage swimming pool in Derbyshire this afternoon as the country experiences a heatwave
Freeze! Two police officers on horseback take a break from duty to pay for an ice cream in Liverpool city centre (pictured)
Pictured: Missing teenage boy, 13, not seen for nearly 24 hours after getting into distress while swimming in a lake with two friends who made it to shore
Ryan Evans disappeared after getting into difficulty in Westport lake, Stoke on Trent, yesterday afternoon
A missing 13-year-old boy who is missing after he was last seen ‘in distress’ while playing in a lake on the hottest day of the year has been named by police.
Ryan Evans disappeared after getting into difficulty in Westport lake, Stoke on Trent, yesterday afternoon.
Police said two other boys, one aged 12 and the other aged 13, were able to make their way safely out the water.
A Nottinghamshire Police dive team and shoreline search groups in drysuits have been combing the extensive Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, for a second day after the alarm was first raised at 4.50pm yesterday.
Naming the local youngster, Staffordshire Police said Ryan’s family were ‘distraught and devastated’, as the search continued.
Chief Inspector John Owen said: ‘It is a lad by the name of Ryan Evans, who’s 13 years old – he is a local male.’
He added: ‘It is something no parent should ever go through.
‘We need to make sure they (the parents) find out the information before anybody else.
‘We’re giving them all the support they need. That’s my primary focus.’
Staffordshire Police said the underwater search was taking place in ‘extremely difficult conditions’ at one end of the lake, where a witness last spotted the boy.
It came as the heatwave, which is set to reach 91F this week, claimed two lives in two separate swimming tragedies elsewhere in Britain.
In Eastbourne, East Sussex, a woman drowned in the sea and at Mercer’s lake in Nutfield, Surrey, a man in his 30s died after he struggled in the ice cold water.
Yesterday police were called to Mercer’s Lake in Nutfield, Surrey, at 6.30pm when eyewitnesses spotted a man getting into difficulties in the water
Heatwave temperatures also caused chaos for motorists on the M5 as a newly-surfaced road failed to set, closing the motorway in one direction at Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset, with one lane to remain shut all day.
Health officials have warned families about the dangers of swimming in open water as the frantic search resumed this morning for a boy, 13, who has been missing from Westport Lake in Staffordshire since yesterday afternoon.
Ryan Evans disappeared after getting into difficulty in Westport lake, Stoke on Trent, yesterday afternoon.
Police said two other boys, one aged 12 and the other aged 13, were able to make their way safely out the water.
Emergency crews began searching the lake this morning at 8am after it was called off late last night die to fading light.
A police helicopter was also involved in the search yesterday after emergency services were called to the scene at 4.50pm.
Yesterday police were called to Mercer’s Lake in Nutfield, Surrey, at 6.30pm when eyewitnesses spotted a man getting into difficulties in the water.
The golden sands of Bournemouth beach were filled with people hoping to make the most of the extremely hot weather
A group of friends make the most of the incredibly hot weather in Cambridge by renting out a punt on the River Cam
He was said to be 100 metres from the edge of the lake when he started to struggle in the freezing water.
Up to 50 people watched as the man, who was trying to cool off, drowned in the lake, according to witnesess.
One man who tried to save the victim today visited the site with friends to lay pink roses on the water in tribute.
They wrote ‘RIP Ed’ on the sand and said the victim was just two weeks short of his 31st birthday. He had two children and was expecting another.
Emergency crews began searching Westport lake this morning at 8am to search for missing Ryan Evans
Two other boys managed to save themselves from the lake, pictured, but Ryan is still missing
They refused to give his surname. They did tell reporters that the nearest life-saving ring was on the opposite bank, 100 yards across the water.
Meanwhile in Eastbourne police are investigating the death of a woman who drowned while swimming in the sea.
Coastguards, paramedics and police were called to the beach near the resort’s Western Parade after the victim was pulled from the water and onto the beach by rescuers who saw that she was in trouble.
An ambulance crew was escorted onto the beach and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the woman who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her body was transferred from the beach to a lifeboat which had been launched to assist and she was taken to the nearby lifeboat station.
Yesterday police were called to Mercer’s Lake in Nutfield, Surrey, at 6.30pm when eyewitnesses spotted a man getting into difficulties in the water