Nikki Fox
East of England health correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Hundreds of patients in Norfolk have had hospital appointments cancelled after MRI scanners stopped working during the hot weather.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has declared a critical incident, saying the cooling systems that keep its scanners running had been affected by the heat and humidity.

The units generate a significant amount of heat when in use, so they rely on cooling systems to keep them within safe operating temperatures.

The trust said it currently has "no working MRI scanners" across its Norwich sites, including those at the main hospital and its community diagnostic centre.

At least 254 outpatient appointments have already been cancelled. The trust said it is contacting affected patients directly and will rearrange appointments "as soon as our scanners are functioning once more".

• Read more: MRI scanners not working at Norfolk trust due to heat

Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent

A three-year-old boy died of heat suffocation on Wednesday afternoon after getting stuck in the family car, French police report.

It happened in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Gratien. The boy was supposed to be taking a nap inside the home, but woke up and - without his parents knowing - went to the car.

According to French news agency AFP, the car doors were unlocked from the outside, but inside the child-lock had been activated so he could not get out. The outside temperature would have been in the late 30Cs.

The boy’s distraught parents tried heart massage to reanimate him, but emergency workers declared him dead.

On Monday, two siblings aged two and four died in similar circumstances in the southern French town of Carpentras.

The Met Office has issued a new yellow warning for thunderstorms for parts of northern Scotland, in place from 15:00 to 23:59 today.

It says there could be "spells of rain and thunderstorms may lead to disruption in a few places".

It adds: "There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds."

Image source, Met Office

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather

I wouldn't normally be talking about temperature reaching the 30C mark at 10:00 BST in June, but then this is not a normal heatwave.

The mercury has just hit 30.4C at Shoreham, West Sussex.

We expect today's highest temperatures will be recorded much later - around 15:00 or 16:00.

Image source, Sussexspotter / BBC Weather Watchers

Meghan Owen and Lauren Stanley
BBC London

Image source, Jackson Bylett

New parents have been telling the BBC about how stressful they've found the heatwave so far.

Jackson Bylett lives in an "unbearably hot" eighth-floor new-build flat in Newham, east London, with his partner and their five-month-old baby.

"I don't think we'd make a decision to have another child whilst we're still living in London in this flat," he says.

"It's no way to raise a child when you're in constant fear at the consequences of them sleeping in an unsafe environment."

The temperature inside has topped 31C. The NHS recommends, external babies should sleep in temperatures of 16-20C.

Jackson says he and his wife spent a long time talking about having a child, but explains that "naively we didn't have much of a conversation about how climate change would impact that and how hotter summers are going to impact how we parent".

As leaseholders, they don't have permission to make any external changes to the building despite the fact the flat is designed with floor-to-ceiling windows.

• Read more: The 'constant fear' of living in an overheated home with a baby

Sarah Keith-Lucas
BBC Weather, reporting from the Met Office operations centre

Forecasters at the Met Office are currently busy reviewing the weather warnings and monitoring the developing situation.

A live feed of weather data is gathered from a network of hundreds of weather observing sites across the UK.

That live data is fed into supercomputers here that produce detailed forecasts of the weather situation over the coming days.

The meteorologists here then use their knowledge and expertise to refine the supercomputer output and access the impacts of extreme weather on people and society.

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather

Image source, PA Media

This unprecedented June heatwave has already set a slew of temperature records:

• UK highest June temperature: 36.1C, Gosport, Hampshire
• Wales highest June temperature: 33.3C, Bute Park, Cardiff
• UK warmest June night: 23.5C, Bute Park, Cardiff

These records are under threat today with temperatures in Wales probably peaking at 35C-36C, and England potentially reaching 36C-37C.

The hotspots in England will be around Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Friday could see temperatures reach up to 36 or 37C too, with the highest seen in East Anglia and south-east England.

The other thing worth keeping an eye on is the increasing risk of thunderstorms breaking out over the next few days, some bringing flash flooding and large hail before cooler air arrives for all by Sunday.

Image source, PA

With a hosepipe ban just announced for large parts of Kent, here's what you need to know about how they work:

What is a hosepipe ban?

A hosepipe ban, also known as a Temporary Use Ban, is a restriction on using hosepipes. They are imposed by water companies to try and save water during periods of high demand or low supply.

How is a hosepipe ban enforced?

In the UK, hosepipe bans are enforced by water companies. They have the authority to impose fines of up to £1,000 on those who violate the ban under the Water Industry Act.

Who is exempt from a hosepipe ban?

There are quite a few exemptions to hosepipe bans, with exact details available on each water company's website.

They generally include people who registered disabled; businesses who need hosepipes for work, for example garden centres; and pools required for medical treatment.

How can I water my garden?

You can still water your plants using a watering can or bucket.

Even during a ban, the use of a hosepipe for some gardening activities is still allowed. Your water company's website will give exact details of what is permitted.

Image source, South East Water

South East Water has introduced a hosepipe ban for around 850,000 customers in Kent "due to high temperatures and record demand for water".

"While we’ve worked to sustain supplies, the continued pressure on our network means we now need to reduce non-essential water use," it says in an announcement on its website.

"We’re asking everyone across the county to please follow these restrictions straight away, to help us protect local water supplies."

The restrictions will be enforced from 00:01 BST on 3 July, it says.

Among the restrictions, the company says people "should not use hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, patios and boats and for filling swimming and paddling pools".

The company had earlier in the week asked customers to only use water for essential purposes.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

It’s not just in the UK where temperatures are high - it's going to be another scorching day for most of Europe.

Temperatures will once again be around 12 to 15C above average across northern Spain, France and into Belgium and the Netherlands.

Maximum temperatures across France will be in the high 30Cs and low 40Cs - Paris will come close to the record of 40.6C (105.1F) set there on Wednesday.

Red heat warnings are in force across most of France and into Germany, where temperatures will get into the mid-30Cs.

Over the next few days the heat will gradually shift further east across Europe with some the highest temperatures around eastern Germany, Poland and Austria over the weekend.

Later today, we’ll be running a Q&A with correspondents and experts from BBC teams - including climate and science, health, learning and identity, business and weather.

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Image source, PA Media

The government is encouraging schools to stay open "as a priority", Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says.

As we've been reporting, more than 840 schools will be closed or partially closed today in Wales because of the extreme heat. Yesterday 837 were closed in England.

Phillipson tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that while hot weather can be "really difficult for children and staff", being in school is "really important for children - especially vulnerable children".

She says that Labour is investing into getting schools "better equipped to deal with these kinds of events in the future", but that the government inherited a "huge backlog" of repairs.

When asked if the opening times of schools should change in response to the hot weather - such as earlier days or changing the school year - she says this should be kept "under review" and be led by evidence.

Dave Harvey
West of England business and environment correspondent

If you think it's hot where you work, try carrying scaffolding up a ladder in 33C (91.4F) heat.

"It's a hard game anyway what we do," scaffolder Lewis Winkworth says. "But this heat makes it twice as hard."

His team from Straight up Scaffolding have been starting work in Bristol super early to try and avoid the worst of it - but it's made little difference.

"It's already super hot when you wake up," Lewis says. "It is hot, but we've just got to get on with it. Someone's got to do it, and there's no escape from the sun in our trade."

Along with the harnesses, hard hats and hi-vis, the safety kit now includes suncream and plenty of water bottles.

• Read more: The heatwave workers 'like cats on a hot tin roof'

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Overnight temperatures in Cardiff didn’t drop below 23.5C (74.3F), according to the Met Office and so we’ve provisionally had the warmest June night on record in the UK.

This exceeds the previous record of 22.7C set in 1976.

Elsewhere it would have been a difficult night for sleeping with temperatures across south Wales and through southern England not dropping below 20C - classed as a ‘tropical night’.

Temperatures have already started to rise so it’s a warm - and sticky - morning commute.

More than 840 schools will be closed or partially closed today in Wales because of the extreme heat.

That's an increase on yesterday, when we reported that number was closer to 500.

The number of closures has increased in a number of areas - including Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Swansea, Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf. At the moment it's thought they should all reopen on Friday.

Yesterday, the BBC counted 837 schools in England which had fully or partially closed, or which were offering parents the option to pick their children up early.

Most schools were open, but that doesn't mean all their pupils are present. Some trusts have reported a big impact on attendance.

Katy Austin
Transport correspondent

Image source, TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock

Extreme heat can have a big impact on the railways.

Steel rails are designed to cope with the temperatures expected of Britain’s climate, but heat above what they’re engineered for can cause rails to buckle.

Another example of what can be affected by heat is technology like signalling equipment - which you could crudely compare to the railway’s traffic lights - and are absolutely crucial for trains to run safely.

Overhead power lines, especially older ones, can end up sagging, meaning trains may also have to travel more slowly to avoid damage.

Hot weather can also dry out the ground under the tracks, resulting in defects. If lots of rain then follows, there’s more risk of landslips.

Requiring trains to run slower is one way Network Rail manages some of the risks in very hot weather.

As we reported earlier, train operators are warning people against non-essential travel - and a number of services are already delayed or cancelled this morning because of "severe weather".

At London Euston, cancelled trains include the 07:10 to Birmingham, the 07:13 to Manchester, and the 07:43 to Liverpool.

There are also cancellations at King's Cross, including the 08:10 to Leeds and 08:24 to Ely, while the weather has also caused some services to be cut out of Waterloo, and on the Heathrow Express out of Paddington.

Operators advise anyone who has to travel to check online before setting off.

Image source, Reuben Brown

At least ten people were taken to hospital for "minor and heat-related conditions" after huge queues of traffic were stranded on the M25 for hours yesterday.

The queues followed a serious crash near junctions six and seven in Surrey, with a man airlifted to hospital.

A number of people took to social media to ask for help, including Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan.

In a post, Vaughan addressed police and highways teams and said: "Please sort this out urgently. People need water and some may need evacuation.

"You have protocols for this situation - please implement them - this is an emergency!"

He said one constituent had been stuck on the M25 near Oxted for eight hours, adding: "It is 40 degrees in her car. She has kids with her. She is running out of water.

"The person from the car in front has been airlifted to hospital with dehydration. Police seem to be saying it's not their job to give out water."

• Read more: People stuck on M25 in heat alert taken to hospital