Rail passengers told to only travel if essential amid red extreme heat warning

Network Rail tells people to check if services are running, with intercity trains expected to be worst affected

Rail passengers have been told to only attempt to travel if absolutely essential" and check trains are running, with extreme heat expected to disrupt services around Britain.

Temperatures are forecast to rise to 37C across most of southern England and Wales over the next three days, and potentially to 40C in the most affected areas.