The hot weather which has baked the UK over the last few days is set to continue on Wednesday, with scattered thunderstorms also forecast to return.

The Met Office says the mercury is expected to push 30C (86F) across southern and western England and 25C (77F) in Belfast, with temperatures forecast to be slightly cooler in the east.

It comes after England reached its hottest temperature of the year on Tuesday – 32.2C (89.96F) recorded at Heathrow Airport in west London.

The previous high for the year was 31.6C (88.88F), which was also recorded at Heathrow on Sunday.

An amber extreme heat warning remains in place for central and southern England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

While much of England is set to sizzle on Wednesday, scattered thunderstorms are forecast to return across the country’s east.

However, the wet weather is not expected to be as serious as the downpours which saturated south-eastern and central England on Tuesday.

As of 5am on Wednesday, the Environment Agency has 17 flood alerts – meaning flooding is possible – in place throughout parts of London, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.