Amber warning: Britons are being advised to stay out of the sunshine washing over from Spain
Sun rays beating down on Britain this week are being accompanied with a serious health warning as the nation is set to bask in temperatures of up to 101F (38C).
Met Office officials are urging the public to avoid the sunshine – and cover up windows at home – as health services are expecting a surge in sun stroke patients.
An amber alert has been issued, meaning heatwave temperatures have officially been reached, but experts say it is set to get even hotter.
This week, the ‘Mediterranean melt’ – a blast of hot air from Spain – will keep temperatures above 80F all the way up until Friday, with temperatures set to peak on Thursday, making the UK hotter than Jamaica.
Met Office forecasters are confident that Brits will be treated to 95F (35C) heat, with bookmakers cutting the odds to 2/1 that the country will experience the hottest day ever, beating the 101F (38.5C) record from 2003.
Britain is now on a Level Three warning from the Met Office – one step below Level Four – at which point is is expected fit and healthy people will begin to experience health issues.
While the sun is at its hottest, the public should avoid it, the Met Office warned.
‘We advise the public to take care in the sun, especially when temperatures are potentially reaching 30 degrees or more throughout this week – either stay out of the sun or be sensible and don’t go out in the strongest sunshine hours (11am to 3pm)’, a spokeswoman said.
Already, frustrated social media users have said they are ‘praying for rain’ after sleepless nights, yellow grass and being stuck without air-conditioning.
Beaches were bursting on the first weekend of the school summer break, with a million visitors in Cornwall, 375,000 at Brighton across Saturday and Sunday, 250,000 in Blackpool, 200,000 in Bournemouth and 200,000 in Great Yarmouth.

Temperatures across Europe and North Africa have soared as the heatwave refuses to release its stranglehold

This week Britain is being warned to stay out of the sun as the temperatures verge on creating a ‘national emergency’


Twitter users said it was too hot on the Underground as London’s transport network seemed hotter under the city than it did at street level

Commuters took to social media to warn the Central Line is baking underground during Britain’s summer heatwave

Listen to health warnings, commuters have urged, as those using the underground networks in London this morning spoke of the unbearable heat

The pulse of scorching air dubbed the ‘Mediterranean melt’ is shown covering Britain by Friday as the school holidays are at to be hotter than Jamaica by Thursday

Katarzyna Palik, 27, soaks up the sunshine as the sizzling weather reaches highs of 86F on Bournemouth beach this weekend

Monika Wojtanowska, aged 29, (left) and Aneta, 26, cool off in the sea as the sizzling weather continues on Bournemouth beach on Sunday

Monday morning was already hot as people made their way to work – many of whom struggled to sleep the previous evening. The weather on Primrose Hill, London, was being enjoyed early on

Early on Monday Londoners were already shedding clothes on Primrose Hill as the day started off extremely hot

Early on Monday morning people were enjoying the warm weather in Queen’s Park, London. Temperatures could hit 101F this week – that’s 36C

Britain will bask in yet another spell of scorching weather next week with bookies slashing the odds of the UK enjoying the hottest day on record (pictured Sunday: the dry grass on Wimbledon Common)

Holidaymakers were caught risking their lives to take photos on the top of crumbling cliffs made famous by TVs Broadchurch

A group of friends goes for a paddle on the lake in Hyde Park, with temperatures today much cooler than they are likely to be for the coming week


A jogger runs on the burnt dry grass on Wimbledon Common (left), while a sunworshipper enjoys an ice cream in Hyde Park

Beaches were bursting yest again Sunday, with a million visitors over the weekend in Cornwall, 375,000 at Brighton across Saturday and Sunday, 250,000 in Blackpool, 200,000 in Bournemouth (pictured) and 200,000 in Great Yarmouth

The Met Office said today’s 30C (pictured is a couple in Hyde Park) would be followed by 32C on Monday and Tuesday, 34C on Wednesday and 35C possible on Thursday and Friday

A blast of hot air from Spain dubbed the ‘Mediterranean melt’ will force temperatures above the 86F (30C) mark all the way up until Friday, with temperatures set to peak on Thursday, making the UK hotter than Jamaica


Rollerbladers enjoy the sunny weather in Hyde Park this afternoon, with temperatures set to increase day on day until Friday
But swimmers are being warned to wear wetsuits if they want to take a dip, to avoid being stung by swarms of giant jellyfish that have been spotted off the coast of Folkestone, in Kent.
Chris Lightwing, the logistics manager at Folkestone Rescue, a charity which helps to keep beaches safe, said that the jellyfish, which have a 1ft diameter and 24 tentacles and can weight up to 2.5kg, could ‘give a nasty sting’ to people enjoying the unprecedented heatwave.
Millions of daytrippers took to clogged roads, with traffic jams due on coastal routes including the A23 to Brighton, A31 to Dorset, A30 to Cornwall and M55 to Blackpool.
The Met Office said today’s 30C would be followed by 32C on Monday and Tuesday, 34C on Wednesday and 35C possible on Thursday and Friday.
‘Off the-scale’ highs verging on July’s 36.7C temperature record, set on July 1, 2015, at Heathrow, were forecast by The Weather Outlook.
The high temperatures are ideal for a swim in the sea but some people in Folkestone, Hythe, and Dover say they have been left in agony after being stung.
Richard Greaves, 34, of Ashford, Kent, said he was stung after going for dip at Sunny Sands Beach in Folkestone last week.
He said: ‘I was swimming about 40ft out and was suddenly surrounded by loads of jellyfish – they looked huge.
‘I was stupid and tried to dive under them and ended up getting stung across my back and legs by their tentacles.’
He said he was helped out of the sea by onlookers, adding: ‘I was in agony for an hour or two, but eventually the pain subsided.’
Bookmakers Coral cut odds to 2/1 on temperatures beating Britain’s hottest temperature ever recorded, the 38.5C (101.3F) on August 10, 2003, at at Brogdale, near Faversham, Kent.
Britain will break its 33.0C hottest day of the year, set on June 28 at Porthmadog, west Wales, and be hotter than Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Acapulco, Mexico.
The new hot spell is due to last for two weeks, with more heat next week after a slight temporary easing on Saturday and Sunday.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: ‘It’s getting warmer and we could see 35C by Thursday.
‘After 30C on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday look like 32C, with 34C possible on Wednesday and a good chance of over 34.5C by Thursday, and Friday similar.
‘Heat will arrive from the south, passing over the continent. It will be hottest in the South and East.’
Chris Lightwing, the logistics manager at Folkestone Rescue, has given some handy advice for sun-seekers if they are stung by a jellyfish.
He said: ‘There has been a recent increase in the number of jellyfish around Folkestone’s coast. Jellyfish can give a nasty sting, and should be avoided. Never attempt to pick up or handle jellyfish.
‘We have had reports of numerous members of the public being stung over the last two weeks.
‘When entering the water, please consider wearing protective clothing and footwear such as a full-length wetsuit and boots.
‘If you have been stung by a jellyfish, you should leave the water immediately and keep still.
‘Any remaining tentacles should be removed with tweezers whilst wearing gloves. Taking painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen will help to lessen any pain or swelling. Weak vinegar can also be used to help neutralise the sting.
‘Do not apply any other substances (such as urine) to the affected area; these do not work and may make the injury worse.
‘If symptoms persist or worsen, please contact your GP or NHS 111 for advice. If you have difficulty breathing after being stung, you should seek medical attention immediately by calling 999.’

The Met Office said today’s 30C would be followed by 32C on Monday and Tuesday, 34C on Wednesday and 35C possible on Thursday and Friday

Beaches were bursting on the first weekend of the break, with a million visitors in Cornwall, 375,000 at Brighton across Saturday and Sunday, 250,000 in Blackpool, 200,000 in Bournemouth and 200,000 in Great Yarmouth
Jellyfish aren’t the only thing sun-seekers have to look out for during this unprecedented heatwave.
Richard Drinkwater, boss of the UK’s biggest inflatables aqua-fun park, promised refunds today after customers complained about bookings being cancelled because ‘brain damage’ toxins have appeared in the heatwave and people might swallow infected water as they splash about.
Several people claimed today they were out of pocket after Aqua Park Suffolk, which only opened on July 7th near Ipswich, said blue-green algae, which has ‘bloomed’ in the heatwave, had been found carpeting the surface of the reservoir.
He said the company was ‘sorry for the disappointment caused’ and would be contacting all customers booked into the splash park this weekend to inform them of the situation.
Professor Laurence Carvalho, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said blue-green algae has been a particular problem this summer.
He said: ‘Not only has it been very warm but it has also been very dry, which means they have not been flushed out of water courses by rain’ he said.
‘It is posing a particular risk to dogs who appear to be attracted by the smell.
Blue-green algae are microscopic, but clump together in visible colonies up to a few millimetres in size that can rise to the surface and form thin wispy green blooms or thick, paint-like scums.
Anglian Water, which manages the tourist attraction, said it had ‘taken the decision to temporarily close the water sports facilities and the Aqua Park with immediate effect as a precaution’.
Children are at greater risk than adults of developing problems because of their comparative lower body weight.
A statement on Anglian Water’s website said ‘While we know this will be disappointing for people booked into the Aqua Park or expecting to use the water sports facilities, the safety of the visitors is our top priority.
‘We will be testing the water twice daily and will reopen the facilities once algal levels return to normal.’