Hottest weekend in South

 
By Laura Donnelly

Health officials believe that the recent heat may be to blame for a sharp rise in deaths in the past fortnight.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said its analysis of government data revealed there had been several hundred "excess deaths" in the past two weeks, which could be due to the temperatures.

Those at most risk from the hot weather are the elderly, babies and young children, with high levels of humidity and the lack of a breeze adding to problems for those with underlying health risks, experts warned.

Heatwaves are known to cause a rise in deaths and in the 2003 heatwave there were 2,000 to 3,000 excess deaths in England, the HPA said.

Overnight temperatures on Friday night hovered around 20 degrees C in London and were in the high teens in several large towns and cities.

While London, the South East and Anglia have been experiencing the hottest weather, there have been cooler temperatures further north, including some rain and mist in Scotland and the north east of England.

Sunny weather is expected to continue in the South on Sunday but is forecast to be slightly cooler.

Despite the cooler temperatures in the North, millions of householders in Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside have been subjected to their first hosepipe pan for 14 years.