Libraries, churches and community centres have opened their doors to people who are hoping to cool down.

Jacky Manning is one of the church wardens at St Nicholas' Church in Henstridge in Somerset, which is opening up as a cool space.

"We don't have to do anything to make it happen except open the door, because the inside of the church is always cool," she said.

"The church was rebuilt in the 1850s. It does have thick walls, narrow windows and stone floors. I think the more people are hearing about these opportunities, they're more likely to take them up."

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said people can attend a number of venues across the city to cool down.

"They all provide seating and are free to access and use. Many also provide free drinking water and accessible toilets," the spokesperson added.

Click here, external to read the full list of venues.

Image source, Google

A doctor from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children gives his tips for keeping children protected.

Steve Knibbs
BBC Gloucestershire correspondent

Our Gloucestershire correspondent Steve Knibbs attended renowned DJ Fatboy Slim's set at the Westonbirt Arboretum - and says the vibes were "great energy", but "cooking".

"It was sweaty and hot near the front but there was great energy, great atmosphere and Fatboy Slim delivered a hit laden set.

"The crowd around us were kept cool by Toby Partington from Bristol who became everyone's friend with his water spray bottle."

Bea Swallow
West of England

Image source, Ellie-May Campbell

Image source, Ellie-May Campbell

A teacher who spent her morning at Bristol's Eastville Park while her school is closed due to the heat has stumbled upon an alarming scene.

Ellie-May Campbell noticed lots of dead fish floating in the algae-ridden lake.

"It looks like the heat has caused a sudden oxygen crash (hypoxia), killing large carp and other fish," she said.

"I’m worried about the remaining wildlife if the council doesn't step in with aerators."

While aquatic plants produce oxygen during the day, they consume it at night. In hot weather, this can also cause oxygen levels to drop to lethal levels in the early morning.

Leigh Boobyer
West of England

The opening of a new section of dual carriageway has been delayed due to the extreme weather.

Traffic was due to be switched from the existing A417 carriageway onto the first major section of the new road at the Ullenwood junction on Thursday, but the move has now been postponed until Monday.

Andrew Alcorn, A417 Missing Link programme manager, said: “The high temperatures have impacted progress on site while we look after the wellbeing and safety of our workforce."

It's for the ongoing major roadworks to the A417 Missing Link project.

Alice Bouverie
West of England

Yesterday was a record day for the South Western Ambulance service, one of its directors has confirmed.

The service received 3,941 calls on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 3,932 set during the previous heatwave in late May.

Wayne Darch, director of operations, said records were being broken that "we don't want to break" in an "unprecedented year".

He told us the ambulance service normally receives between 3,000 and 3,100 calls a day, with the service receiving 1,000 more calls yesterday than it did on the same day last year.

Although Darch says it was "difficult" to know how many called were heat-related, he added there was a rise in falls, breathing difficulties and fainting - which are all related to the heat.

Lucy Tegg
BBC Radio Bristol

Wow - take a look at this photo of Bristol Hippodrome with its roof open. The theatre has told us it is "very rare" for them to do it.

Image source, Lucy Tegg

The historic retractable dome on the roof was opened during the interval of the matinee performance of Matilda the Musical on Wednesday afternoon. The last time it was opened was seven years ago - coincidentally during a performance of the same show.

It took more than three minutes for the roof to be closed just as the second half of the hit musical began.

Bristol Water has confirmed supply has been restored to residents following two separate incidents that cut off water overnight.

In Portishead, two power outages at a pumping station on Down Road last night meant some customers experienced low pressure or a loss of supply.

The power has now been restored by the National Grid and all customers are back in supply, the utility company confirmed.

A burst water main on Oldland Common overnight has also been repaired ahead of peak temperatures this afternoon.

Image source, Getty Images

Leigh Boobyer
West of England

The Met Office has just issued a new yellow thunderstorm warning for the whole of our region.

It will come into force at midnight tonight, and will remain in place until 10:00 BST on Friday.

The Met Office says the thunderstorms could bring disruption overnight, with a slight chance of power cuts and delays to public transport.

The weather comes days after Somerset, and other areas, experienced flash flooding. Those in areas vulnerable to flooding have been urged by the Met Office to consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.

Another yellow warning for thunderstorms, covering Somerset, Devon and Cornwall from 18:00 this evening to 23:59 tonight was issued separately by the Met Office yesterday and remains in place.

Image source, Met Office

Leigh Boobyer
West of England

Rail passengers travelling through the West Country have been told to travel today and Friday only if journeys are essential.

Great Western Railway (GWR) and South Western Railway (SWR) have both announced that they are extending their warning for passengers travelling within and beyond the areas covered by the red and amber weather warnings - covering the whole of the West of England.

Trains are likely to be cancelled or heavily delayed as the rail infrastructure continues to struggle with the high temperatures.

Those who choose not to travel are able to amend their tickets or claim a refund, with full details available on both GWR and SWR's websites.

Image source, Getty Images

Bea Swallow
West of England

It's not just people and pets who can't hack the heat - even smoke alarms are feeling the strain.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service says it is receiving a large number of 999 calls because of domestic smoke or heat alarms activating due to the drastic change in temperature.

"While we would never encourage the public not to contact us for this issue, if your smoke alarm is activating please consider if it could be caused by the heat before dialling 999," a spokesperson said.

Image source, Getty Images

A live podcast event focused on climate change, due to take place today at Bath Abbey, has been cancelled due to the extreme weather warning.

Posting on Instagram, a spokesperson for the university said: "We recognise the irony of postponing a climate-focused event due to extreme weather - underscoring the importance of the event."

Climate podcast Outrage + Optimism had been due to hold a live recording in front of an audience at Bath Abbey.

One of the podcast's co-hosts, Christiana Figueres, said in a statement: "A climate podcast event postponed by a climate emergency. Let that sink in.

"We've postponed our Bath Abbey recording with the University of Bath to keep people safe," she added. "The recording can wait. The crisis won't."

Image source, Getty Images

Bea Swallow
West of England

Due to the severe weather, Great Western Railway (GWR) has confirmed all trains running between Bristol Temple Meads and Severn Beach will be cancelled. Live updates can be found on their website., external

In the hot weather, the overhead lines that provide power to the trains can expand and sag, so to avoid damaging the lines, trains must travel more slowly.

The operator said any purchased tickets can be used, at no extra cost, on the local bus routes in both directions.

Image source, Getty Images

Extreme heat can cause rails to expand and buckle, so when temperatures reach certain thresholds, trains must run more slowly to keep services safe.

Prolonged high temperatures can also affect equipment on our older regional train fleet, including engines and cooling systems.

Image source, Roger / Weather Watchers

After another hot and humid day, thunderstorms are forecast to return later.

Rain in the north-west of England is expected to become increasingly thundery throughout Thursday, with further storms developing across the south-west of England overnight.

By Friday, northern parts of the UK are likely to remain rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain and thunderstorms. Some storms could be accompanied by hail and gusty winds.

While temperatures are set to ease slightly in western areas, the peak heat is expected to shift into eastern England, where it will remain particularly hot with highs of 35C.

Dave Harvey
Business Correspondent, BBC West

If you think it is hot where you work, try fitting aluminium solar panels to a steel roof. Or carrying scaffolding tubes up a ladder in 33C (91.4F). Or driving a bus with no air conditioning.

Ben Harrison, founder of a Gloucestershire solar panel installation firm, said his crews are "like cats on a hot tin roof".

In Bristol, scaffolders started early on Wednesday, at 06:00 BST. But by midday the tubes they handle were "burning hot", and they called an early finish.

Bus drivers said their uncooled cabs are well over 40C (104F).

Yet there is no law telling employers to call a halt when the heat records are broken.

Read more here.

Bea Swallow
West of England

South Western Ambulance Service (SWAST) has confirmed that yesterday was their busiest day on record, with paramedics attending a total of 3,941 incidents across the region.

The UKHSA red heat health alert remains in place until 23:00 BST on Friday, while the Met Office's red extreme heat warning runs until 21:00 tonight, before being downgraded to an amber alert for Friday.

The latter aims to warn people of how extreme the weather is at its peak, while the UKHSA alert reflects the ongoing risk to health from sustained heat, which is why it lasts even after temperatures start to ease.

Chris Lockyer
West of England

There has been a backlash against First Bus's electric buses, which reportedly don't have any air conditioning.

Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has written to the bus company to raise the issue.

Gilmour says constituents have experienced “extremely warm and uncomfortable conditions” on board the 28 service between the two towns - which has journey times of about 90 minutes.

She acknowledges drivers have been "understanding and apologetic", but wants to see passengers travelling in “comfort and safety at all times”.

Image source, Getty Images

Dozens of people in Portishead are currently without water on the hottest day of the year.

Bristol Water announced at 20:00 BST last night that a power outage had affected its pumping station on Down Road, resulting in poor or no water pressure in the surrounding area.

In a statement, the utility company said: "We do have a pump running on a generator attempting to build up pressure in the system. We are hoping to have customers back in water as soon as we can.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

We have contacted Bristol Water for an update this morning.

Image source, Bristol Water

Bea Swallow
West of England

It’s set to be another sweltering day, with the Met Office predicting a dry and sunny start, high UV levels and a maximum temperature of 38C.

The region will also experience a very hot and humid evening, with elevated thunderstorms and potential downpours spreading northwards overnight, bringing a welcome drop in temperature.

The red heat health alert for the south-west of England has been extended until 23:00 BST on Friday, following a risk assessment by the UK Health and Safety Agency and the Met Office.

The extreme heat warning, which also covers other parts of central and southern England, came into force on Wednesday and was initially due to end this evening.

Good morning!

Welcome to our live coverage of this week's record-breaking heatwave as we enter another day of soaring temperatures and high humidity.

The record for the UK’s hottest June day was broken on Wednesday, with a provisional temperature of 36.1C recorded in Gosport, Hampshire, breaking the previous record from the summer of 1976.

Experts expect the June temperature record to be broken for a second day in a row today.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest forecasts, weather warnings, travel updates and advice from experts on staying safe.

Image source, Rispo/ Weather Watchers