UK heatwave live: Teenager dies after entering lake during heat

 LIVE – Updated at 13:45

Police searching for a missing boy who was reported to have entered a lake in Leicestershire on the hottest June day on record in the UK have recovered a body.

Officers were called to Meynell Lake, in Fosse Way, Syston, just after 1.30pm on Thursday, Leicestershire Police said, after reports that a teenage boy had gone into the water.

Thursday provisionally became the UK’s hottest June day on record, with 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, while forecasts for Friday afternoon predict highs of 40C.

A rare red warning for extreme heat is in place until 9pm for London & South East England and the East of England.

According to the Met Office, the heat will be accompanied by “high humidity, exacerbating the potential for discomfort and health impacts”.

The devastating impact of the heatwave has been felt keenly by hospitals, as a fifth trust declared a critical incident today.

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital said the extreme heat and humidity is affecting its ability to deliver services.

Near Greater Manchester, a wildfire tore through large areas of moorland and woodland on Thursday night, sending plumes of thick smoke across the villages of Tintwistle, Hollingworth and Woolley Bridge.

Yellow warnings for thunderstorms still in place

13:45 , Rebecca Whittaker

Several yellow thunderstorm warnings are still in place in Scotland and northern parts of England today and tomorrow.

A yellow warning for Scotland has been in place since midnight and will continue until 3am.

The Met Office warned Scotland could see up to 50mm of rainfall in just three hours. The forecaster warned there is a change of flooding and power cuts.

Meanwhile the North East and parts of the North West of England could see heavy rain, large hail, gusty winds and frequent lightning are all possible with 15 to 30 mm rain falling in a short space of time in a few places. A warning is in place here until 9pm tonight.

Similarly, thunderstorms are forecast for Northern Ireland, with a yellow warning in place until 10pm.