Heatwave alerts for much of England

A heatwave could affect much of England this weekend

The Met Office has issued heatwave alerts for large parts of England.

Yorkshire and the Humber, one of nine Met Office English regions, has a 90% chance of heatwave conditions until 20:00 BST on Sunday.

The East Midlands and southern areas have a 60% or 70% chance of a heatwave.

Officials are warning of “significant” health effects from the forecast with Public Health England advising people to stay out of the hot sun and keep drinking cool fluids.

The Met Office warnings are designed to protect vulnerable people, such as young children, very old people and those who are unwell, from the effects of hot weather.

There are currently no alerts for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The “heatwave action” warning level “requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups” .

The temperatures at which the Met Office declares a heatwave vary in England, from 28C in the North East region to 32C in London.

Even if temperatures do not hit “extreme” levels, it advises people to keep safe in the sun, seek shade to cool down and keep hydrated with plenty of cool fluids.

Public Health England warns that it can get uncomfortably hot indoors too and advises people to keep living spaces cool by closing the curtains and opening windows at cooler times of the day and overnight.

They also advise turning off non-essential lights and electrical items as they generate heat.

Health and social care workers should regularly check on vulnerable patients, they said, to make sure room temperatures are set below 26 degrees.

Patients should have access to cold water and ice.