Amber heat alert issued for East of England

An amber heat health alert has been issued for the East of England ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

Temperatures are expected to rise over the coming days, peaking between 30 and 32C (86 and 90F) on Monday, according to the Met Office.

The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), is in place from 14:00 BST on Friday until 17:00 on Wednesday.

It said vulnerable people were at greater risk from the soaring temperatures, and warned there might be an impact across health and social services due to increased demand.

The UKHSA upgraded the warning from yellow to amber on Friday morning.

An amber warning means there is a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services.

Risks include a rise in deaths, especially in those aged over 65 or with health conditions.

Young children may also be at higher risk of health-related issues.

Internal temperatures within workplaces, including hospitals, may exceed the recommended threshold, and the ability of workers in all settings may be affected.

Public transport and increased power demands may also become an issue, the agency warned.

Fred Best, from Norwich-based forecaster Weatherquest, told BBC Radio Norfolk that temperatures would rise through Sunday and Monday.

"It will be an exceptionally hot weekend, and compared with average temperatures for the time of year which for late May are 18C (64F), we're well above average for what we'd expect."

He said the last time temperatures in England exceeded 30C in May was in 2005.

Central Bedfordshire Council has announced it will have early morning bin collections between 25 and 29 May due to the hot weather.

The coastguard at Southend-on-Sea has also asked people to be careful in the water, having attended six incidents in the last 24 hours - including reports of two people jumping off the pier.

"We are expecting the seafront to be extremely busy this weekend and we ask that our local and visiting communities look out for each other," the organisation said.

Do you have a story suggestion? Contact us below.

Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.