Red weather warning of extreme heat issued for Portsmouth and Hampshire by Met Office

The forecasters are saying there will be ‘an exceptional hot spell on Monday and Tuesday leading to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.’

A statement from the Met Office says: ‘Population-wide adverse health effects experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life. Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice.’

On Wednesday Gosport was the hottest place in the country.

It says that substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required, and that there is a high risk of failure failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment – which could lead to localised loss of power and other essential services, such as water or mobile phone services.

The Met Office also points out that significantly more people will be visiting coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents, and that delays caused by this could lead to welfare issues for those caught up in traffic in hot cars.

Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm for the UK, especially in towns, which is likely to affect people.

Temperatures are expected to drop from Wednesday.

The government has issued tips for hot weather which can be found here.