For the first time ever the UK temperature has exceeded 40 degrees Celsius as Heathrow reported a temperature of 40.2C at 12:50pm on Tuesday, July 19.

The Met Office had earlier revealed that the UK had experienced its warmest night on record on Monday, with temperatures remaining in the mid-20s, meaning an uncomfortable sleep for many.

Less than an hour previously, the record for hottest temperature had been broken at 39.1 which was recorded at Charlwood in Surrey. 

This is the first time ever UK temperatures have surpassed 40 degrees. 

Potential highs of 41 degrees have been predicted for Tuesday, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps conceding the UK’s transport network cannot cope with the extreme heat and said issues on the rails and roads will continue for decades during such heatwaves.

The Met Office tweeted: "For the first time ever, 40 Celsius has provisionally been exceeded in the UK London Heathrow reported a temperature of 40.2°C at 12:50 today Temperatures are still climbing in many places, so remember to stay #WeatherAware"

As the heatwave continues, Mr Shapps told people to “apply common sense” and “depending on the nature of your journey and reason for it, you might want to consider rearranging your day around it”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We’ve seen a considerable amount of travel disruption. We’re probably going to see the hottest day ever in the UK recorded today, and infrastructure, much of it built in Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature – and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could, because the temperatures are so extreme.”