Spain battles biggest wildfires in 20 years as heatwave grips Europe

Health officials warn 'the worst is still to come', with temperatures expected to exceed 44C in some areas

Firefighters battled wildfires at a scale not seen for 20 years in Spain and southern France was placed on unprecedented red alert as much of western Europe sweltered in an extreme early-summer heatwave on Thursday.

With temperatures in northern Spain and southern France set to exceed 44C, governments urged their citizens to take the utmost precaution, warning that in some areas the worst was yet to come.