The Met Office has issued a series of new weather warnings for 90 UK areas while also alerting millions of Britons over the possibility of power cuts. According to the forecaster, the temperature levels are likely to soar to 38C on Wednesday and Thursday.

The National Weather Agency explained that the heat will begin to start building from Tuesday with the temperatures reaching 37C for southern England and 35C for southeast Wales. The peak of the heatwave is now forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are expected to climb to 38C. It said: "By Friday conditions will be less hot, with highs of 33°C forecast across eastern areas."

The Met Office said: "Very hot weather is likely to continue in general until at least Thursday across the highlighted region, although significant variations from place to place and day by day are likely. Temperatures by day are widely expected to exceed 30 Celsius, with the hottest areas potentially peaking around 38 Celsius.

"Overnight, temperatures are unlikely to fall much lower than high teens Celsius, and some places will not fall below 20 or 21 Celsius. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by high humidity. Cooler conditions may begin to become established from the west following this period, but confidence is low."

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