A football club have cancelled their matches ahead of what is expected to be the hottest day of the year.

Woodpecker FC in Strood announced they would not be going ahead with training or tournaments this weekend due to concerns over the "extreme hot weather".

Club chairman Ryan Crick said: "It is not a decision we took lightly because we - and our players - love playing football every week and we were really looking forward to welcoming lots of other clubs to our under 10s tournaments.

"But our first priority has to be the welfare of the kids playing and the volunteers who run the club.

"It is difficult to ensure shade or relief from the sun and - especially at tournaments - you need to play a certain amount of matches to make it worthwhile.

"We will rearrange it all so the kids do not miss out but for this weekend we have told all our Woodpeckers to have fun and enjoy the lovely weather safely but stay hydrated and keep out of the direct sun."

On Monday, the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat across parts of the UK ahead of further soaring temperatures this week.

The rare warning states there could be a danger to life or potential serious illness as a result of the scorching temperatures.

Forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Parts of south east England could exceed 35C on Sunday. At the moment, we are looking at a 30% chance of seeing the hottest temperature recorded in the UK.”

The Met Office said the warning is in place from 12.01am on Sunday to 11.59pm, when temperatures are predicted to soar into the 30s.

Some computer models have predicted the mercury will hit 40C for the first time ever – the UK record is 38.7C, set in July 2019 in Cambridgeshire.

The club based in Temple Mill Primary School have teams starting from U7s through to U13s. They also run a football academy for children aged four to 11 every Saturday morning.

Anchorians FC in Gillingham have also announced their training is cancelled due to the heat and Met weather warning.

A spokesman said: "Apologies for any disappointment. Please keep your eye on our social media channels for updates throughout the week."

Are you having to cancel any planned events? Contact medway@thekmgroup.co.uk