The Met Office has issued a red weather warning over the coming days with the peak due on Wednesday and Thursday.

A rare red weather warning for extreme heat has been issued for parts of England and Wales later this week as temperatures could reach 40C in places. The Met Office warning affects London, parts of the Midlands, south-east Wales and southern England, and will be in place from 09:00 BST on Wednesday through to 21:00 BST on Thursday. Forecasters say the extreme heat will be exacerbated by high humidity and warn that "significant disruption" to daily life is likely, including travel disruption. Some schools have also already announced plans to close early. The Met Office said the hot weather will also have a population-wide impact on health and will lead to serious illness and a danger to life. Less severe amber weather warnings are also in place across much of southern and central England and most of Wales from Monday through to the end of Thursday. In the worst-affected areas, the Met Office has forecast that temperatures could reach up to 40C with the peak of the heatwave anticipated to fall on Wednesday and Thursday. That would come close to the UK's highest temperature on record of 40.3C, set in Coningsby in July 2022. That is also the only previous time a red extreme heat weather warning has been issued. Temperatures have risen quickly on Monday with a chance of thundery showers for some.