Herefordshire's highest-ever temperature recorded

The 38.0C temperature was recorded in Bredenbury, near Bromyard, by the Met Office, provisionally meaning it was the hottest Herefordshire day on record.

While Herefordshire was not in the red warning area issued by the Met Office for this week, it is in the amber area and figures have been creeping up throughout the day - and are not expected to peak quite yet.

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That temperature, according to the Met Office Weather Observations Website, was recorded at 4.58pm on Monday.

Britons have been urged to stay inside during the hottest period of the day, between 11am and 4pm, and wear sun cream, a hat, stay in the shade and keep hydrated with water, and there are warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

The Met Office said that the top temperature on record in Herefordshire was 34.4C at Preston Wynne on August 3, 1990.

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It is a provisional record as the Met Office still needs to check the observation station is accurate, with other stations in the county registering temperatures between 34C and 36C.

Over in Worcestershire, stations near Redditch and Kidderminster have also been showing recorded temperatures of 37C and 38C.

Wales has also had its hottest day on record, with 37.1C recorded in Hawarden in north Wales.