Heatwave alert: This is what temperature needs to be for Doncaster's hottest day in history

A red extreme heat warning has been issued for Doncaster and much of England for next Monday and Tuesday and the Government has already warned of deaths and potential disruption to schools and travel, with the Met Office saying daily routines will need to change.

Forecasts are predicting that the temperature could reach a record breaking 40c or more in some parts of the country – which would shatter the highest recorded UK temperature of 38.7c in Cambridge in 2019.

Doncaster’s own temperature record is also set to be smashed.

The highest – 35.5c – was recorded in Doncaster in August 1990. A slightly higher temperature of 35.6c was recorded in nearby Bawtry in 1906.

Current forecasts for Doncaster for Monday and Tuesday show temperatures predicted to reach 38c, hotter than places like Malaga, Madrid, Athens and Cairo and just a few degrees behind the desert heat of Dubai.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said it was "potentially a very serious situation", with a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C - likely along the A1 corridor, running from London northwards towards Yorkshire and the North East.

BBC Weather presenter Matt Taylor said there is now a realistic possibility of hitting 40C in the UK.

"That is exceptionally hot, the sort of temperatures that if you are on holiday you may be able to deal with but in day-to-day life it can have severe impacts on health," he said.