Arabic version: برنهام يترأس اجتماع «كوبرا» بشأن الحر الشديد

According to BBC News, Prime Minister Andy Burnham will chair a government emergency Cobra committee meeting on Wednesday as temperatures are expected to surge again across parts of the UK. The meeting will consider the response to extreme heat, with ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Home Office and Department for Health due to attend alongside the Environment Agency.

The Met Office has issued a rare amber extreme heat warning for Thursday, covering a large area of England. Temperatures are forecast to peak in the mid-to-high 30s Celsius across the Midlands and south-east, with 38C possible. The hottest conditions are expected across the Midlands, eastern England, London and south-east England, Yorkshire and Humber.

A temperature of 38C would equal the summer high recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on 26 June. It would also be the hottest August day since 2003, when 38.5C was recorded. The Met Office said Sunday was the 35th day of the year to reach 30C, breaking the UK record for the number of such days in a year. It is also likely to be the fourth calendar month this year to record 35C or more.

The heatwave comes after drought officials declared 71.3% of England to be in drought, placing 45 million people in drought areas and more than 27 million under water-use restrictions. Firefighters have attended 966 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including a New Forest fire that has burned since Sunday after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood. Amber heat health alerts covering all of England remain in force until Friday evening, while temperatures are expected to become noticeably cooler over the weekend.