Europe’s heatwave moves north as UK braces for hottest day on record

Temperatures also forecast to rise in the Netherlands and Belgium as wildfires continue to rage in southern parts of the continent

Firefighters continued to battle blazes in southern Europe as searing temperatures moved north and Britain braced for what could be its hottest day on record.

Expectations are now high that on Tuesday the British record of 38.7C could be broken and 40C breached for the first time, with experts blaming climate change and predicting more frequent extreme weather to come.