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Britain today experienced its hottest day on record with temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) amid growing rail travel chaos as schools shut again and millions of people respond to the extreme heat by working from home.

The mercury hit an unprecedented 40.2C (104.4F) at London Heathrow Airport at 12.50pm - around an hour after a reading of 39.1C (102.4F) in Charlwood, Surrey, beat the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. In third place is 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003, and 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday is fourth.