Britain is braced for an outbreak of wildfires as the country continues to swelter in its longest heatwave for seven years.
Researchers have estimated that the hot weather may have caused up to 760 premature deaths after six consecutive days of plus-30C temperatures. And with rainfall at only around 15 per cent of average monthly totals so far, the Met Office has warned that there is an "elevated risk" of fires in the countryside.
Karl Kitchen, the Met Office scientist with responsibility for wildfires, told The Independent that soon-to-be harvested crops such as wheat and winter barley are looking particularly vulnerable to fire.
Firefighters in London have already warned of the dangers posed by grass fires.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) says it has dealt with twice as many grass fires in this summer's heatwave compared with last year.
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The country experienced the hottest day of the year so far on Wednesday, with the mercury hitting 32.2C.
on Thursday it hit highs of 30.5C in Bournemouth in Dorset and Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire.
Gemma Plumb, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said there was no sign of temperatures dropping significantly in the coming days.
A four-week-old baby was among 10 children admitted to one hospital in the southeast with sunburn since the period of hot weather began.
The oldest patient was 14, according to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex.
Six of the 10 children admitted needed specialist treatment after being referred to the unit from other hospitals because of the severity of their burns.
