UK weather: Saturday to be ‘hottest of 2019’ as police issue heatwave warnings

Three people dead in 24 hours amid rising temperatures across UK

The UK is set to experience the hottest day of 2019 so far on Saturday, prompting warnings from police to those looking to cool off in rivers and reservoirs.

Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office meteorologist, said that while Friday will settle into a humid night, Saturday “will see the hottest day of the year so far”.

The east of England is expected to be particularly warm, with highs of 34C – just 1.6C cooler than the hottest June day on record.

However the sun is unlikely to stretch into an official heatwave, which lasts for three days, with a mix of sunny spells, scattered showers and lower temperatures expected in the UK over the coming week.

The Saharan winds spreading scorching temperatures across Europe and bringing high temperatures to the UK have particularly hit France – where the country has reached its highest ever recorded temperature of 45.1C.

The nation’s previous record of 44.1C was set during a 2003 heatwave, which a government report said led to 14,802 additional deaths.

It comes as police forces across Britain warn the public to stay away from waterways after three people died attempting to cool off from the summer heat.

The body of a 12-year-old girl named by the Manchester Evening News as Shukri Yahya Abdi, was pulled from the River Irwell in Bury yesterday more than four hours after the emergency services were called to the scene.

Detective Inspector Andrew Naismith, of GMP’s Bury district, said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident in which a young girl has lost her life, and my thoughts are with her family at this devastating time.

“We have a team of detectives working on this, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances at this time.

“With the warmer weather, it’s tempting to go into the water to cool off, but I’d like to remind everyone of the dangers of playing near or swimming in rivers, lakes and reservoirs and would strongly urge against this.”

The incident took place hours after the deaths of two men who were recovered from the sea near Babbacombe Beach in Torquay.

The unnamed pair, aged 25 and 26 years old, were found by a lifeboat crew at 2pm. Both were rushed to Torbay hospital where they were later pronounced dead.