Britons put on alert as UK temperatures set to soar

STORY: "There is still this possibility of reaching up towards 40 degrees (Celsius) and breaking those records that we have here in the UK," climate scientist Hannah Cloke from the University of Reading told Reuters.

"That's very frightening in a way, that even some of the computer models are picking up these extremely high temperatures."

Hot days in the UK usually see Britons fill its beaches, but aside from the dangers of lying in the sun, plunging into cold water could also be a serious risk.

"There is this danger of cold shock, which does kill people every year and people drown in these heat waves," Cloke said. "So be very, very careful. Enter the water very slowly, make sure you're with an experienced swimmer."

Scientists blame human-caused climate change for the increased frequency of extreme weather such as heatwaves, which have also hit parts of China and the United States in recent days.