SCOTLAND has experienced its hottest day on record, with the temperature reaching 34.8C in Charterhall in the Scottish Borders, according to provisional Met Office figures.
The previous record was 32.9C, recorded in Greycrook in August 2003.
Despite government warnings and ministers urging people to stay indoors, parks and beaches were full of sunseekers.
South of the border, temperatures reached 40C for the first time.
The Met Office said at least 29 observation sites across England have provisionally broken the previous all-time record, from Bramham, in West Yorkshire, to Charlwood, in Surrey.
In London, it was so hot that the heavily-dressed ceremonial guards stationed at the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle were withdrawn at midday.
The Ministry of Defence said they had to prioritise the wellbeing of their soldiers.
Meanwhile, the fire brigade were forced to declared a major incident after a surge in fires.
More than 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the village of Wennington, east London.
Residents said at least eight houses and the local church had been damaged.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service warned that the wildfire risk in southern and eastern parts of Scotland was “very high”.
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Bruce Farquharson said: “At this time of year, the ground vegetation is a combination of green growth, with a relatively high moisture content, and dead vegetation lying on top, which can easily ignite and spread quickly over a large area.”
He added: “During the next few days, I would urge the public to avoid lighting fires outdoors but, if you must, check for restrictions or permissions required by the landowner and make sure you use a fire safe pit or container that can be properly extinguished before you leave.
“We need people to be aware of how quickly things can get out of hand – the smallest outdoor ignition can spread rapidly and burn for days. Therefore, we are asking people to act responsibly when enjoying the outdoors and please think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.”
The Met Office’s chief scientist Professor Stephen Belcher has warned temperatures will only get more extreme in the future.
“I wasn’t expecting to see this in my career, but the UK has just exceeded 40C for the first time,” he said.
The forecaster added: “For me it’s a real reminder that the climate has changed and will continue to change.”
He said Met Office research showed that it was "virtually impossible for the UK to experience 40C in an undisrupted climate, but climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made these extreme temperatures possible, and we’re actually seeing this possibility now.”
The high temperatures also caused widespread disruptions across rail services.
ScotRail said many of their services were subject to speed restrictions.
Meanwhile, Avanti West Coast suspended all trains between Scotland and London because of the extreme heat.
An Avanti spokesperson said: "Due to the extreme heat causing multiple incidents across the network, all Avanti West Coast services have now been withdrawn for the rest of today.
“In the past few hours, we’ve experienced a number of infrastructure issues including overhead line damage at Quintinshill and a lineside fire at Harrow on the approach to London."
LNER had already cancelled all trains on the east coast south of York.
The UK government's Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Victorian-era infrastructure “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature.” He warned that updating it would take decades.
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