It is so hot I think I am going to throw up.

[DanaC]

The heatwave warning has been raised to "level three" by the Met Office for north-west England.

It said the hottest weather was expected over western England on Friday, with the east becoming cooler.

Level three warnings are in place for the South West and the West Midlands, but warnings for south-east England and London have been reduced to level two.

The warning alerts healthcare services to help those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and young children.

Level three alerts are triggered when threshold temperatures have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90% confidence level that the day threshold temperature will again be met.

The threshold temperature for north-west England is 30C (86F)

It is the UK's first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 30C (86F).

Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has estimated there might have been between 540 and 760 extra deaths in England and 60 to 100 in Wales due to the hot weather.

Wednesday was the hottest day of the year, with 32.2C (89.9F) recorded at Hampton in south-west London.

See: first time since 2006 that we've had more than 6 consecutive days above 86f. So, little need as a country to gear up for serious heat on the whole. Therefore when it does hit us, it hits hard. We just don't have the responses to it that would allow us to cope comfortably. A possible death toll of 900 people in the UK across 6 days of temperatures that hotter countries take in their stride.