Extreme UK weather live: hottest day on record as temperature reaches 39.1C in Surrey | Extreme weather

It is understood RAF Brize Norton will remain closed on Tuesday.

An inspection and assessment is due to be carried out later and again on Wednesday morning.

It was announced on Monday that flying activity was halted at the RAF base in Oxfordshire “during this period of extreme temperature” and that aircraft would be using alternative airfields.

A section of the A14 dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was left looking like a “skatepark” after it warped in the heatwave on Monday, police said.

Policing East Cambridgeshire said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, with a photo of the damaged road surface: “No, the A14 is not being turned into a skatepark… unfortunately the road surface isn’t coping well in this heat.

“While it might look like fun it’s potentially very dangerous.”

The westbound section of the A14 at Bottisham was closed overnight on Monday to Tuesday for emergency carriageway repairs and had reopened by around 7am on Tuesday, National Highways said.

Transport for London (TfL), which has advised people to “only travel if essential”, said around 1.03 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10am on Tuesday.

This is down 30% compared with the same period last Tuesday, and also lower than Monday’s figure of 1.06 million.

Some 1.04 million bus journeys were made up to 10am, a decrease of 16% week on week, and down from Monday’s figure of 1.07 million.

UK experiences hottest day on record as temperature climbs above 39C

A lifeguard supervisor in Merseyside has said they have been “extremely busy” in recent days and advised people not to swim anywhere apart from beaches where lifeguards are present.

Speaking to PA at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, Siobhan Murphy, a lifeguard supervisor, said:

We recommend that you always go to a lifeguarded beach. The lifeguards are there to keep you safe, and we recommend that you swim between the red and yellow flags.

It’s the safest place to swim, there are no hazards there and the lifeguards are always watching that area.

Around the UK the water is always cold, no matter how warm it is outside, like on a day like today, so we recommend that if you do fall into cold water that you float on your back like a starfish and allow that cold water shock to pass. It has been proven to save lives.

Hazards include a fast incoming tide and cold water shock which can affect swimmers of all abilities, she added.

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the service has detailed plans in place for dealing with the extreme hot weather as call numbers have climbed above normal levels.

PA reports the spokesperson as saying:

We have seen above-average call numbers since Monday afternoon.

Demand on our service is very high and, even when the temperatures drop, we expect to still being seeing an impact from heat-related illnesses into the weekend.

We continue to ask the public to help us, as their actions can help manage rapid increases in the number of people calling for an ambulance.

Please continue to follow guidance during this period of hot weather and only call 999 in life-threatening emergencies.

Temperatures hit 37.3C in Charlwood, Surrey, by 11am

Thunderstorms forecast for Wednesday

The BBC has produced some interesting analysis of the UK’s hottest neighbourhoods, which are all concentrated in the most deprived areas of the country.

Analysis by the BBC of satellite data from 4 Earth Intelligence and figures on relative poverty in England, Scotland and Wales suggests people in deprived areas are more than twice as likely to live in places that are significantly hotter than neighbouring, better-off areas.

The difference is down to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, where buildings and roads absorb and retain heat, and become significantly hotter than surrounding areas with shade or green space.

This makes a considerable difference. One resident the BBC spoke to lives in an area that was 5C hotter than a nearby park on one day in July last year.

BBC analysis estimates that 6 million people live in places at risk of higher heat across Britain during the summer months.

Temperatures exceed 35C in London before 10am, Met Office reports