The Met Office's amber weather warning for extreme heat has been extended with forecasters now expecting England's sweltering temperatures to still be here next week.

The rare warning, first triggered on Monday as the mercury crept past 30C, states that there could be a danger to life or potential serious illness as a result of the ongoing heatwave.

See how hot it is going to get in Kent

It was initially expected that the unusually hot weather England and some parts of Wales are currently experiencing would peak this Sunday and temperatures would then drop considerably after Monday.

But forecasters at the Met Office have now altered their predictions warning that this week's heatwave is expected to continue past the weekend with temperatures now expected to peak sometime between Monday and Tuesday - prompting an extension of the amber warning for extreme heat until 23.59 on Tuesday night.

The warning states: "A hot spell is likely to develop from Sunday, likely peaking early next week, leading to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure."

In Kent, current Met Office predictions for Tuesday, July 19 forecast temperatures of 32C in Maidstone, 31C in Gravesend, 32C for Canterbury and 31C for Sittingbourne while the county's coastal spots range from 25C to 27C.

While many have been enjoying the unusually prolonged spell of good weather, a lengthy stretch of above-average temperatures is not without its problems.

People have been urged to look out for the elderly and vulnerable after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) expressed its own concerns about how people may be managing in the heat with officials putting in place level three heatwave warnings for much of southern and eastern England.

While the Environment Agency has said it is watching water levels closely as the dry spell continues and the RSPCA has been forced to appeal to dog owners not to walk their animals in the heat for fear that it might kill them.

Network Rail has also said it may be forced to implement speed restrictions on some rail services should the high temperatures begin to affect services while gritters are also on standby in a number of areas should tarmac begin melting under the red-hot sun.

While there are suggestions this heatwave could break all records by next Tuesday, the hottest day in the UK currently on record is 38.7C recorded in Cambridge on July 25, 2019.