Temperatures soar above 30C in the East of England

Temperatures in the East of England have again exceeded 30C (86F) after the UK experienced record-breaking May weather over the bank holiday weekend.

One of the region's hottest places was Bedford Aerodrome, where it reached 32C (90F) on Monday, according to the Met Office.

A search was scrambled after reports of a man falling overboard near Harwich, Essex, and the RNLI's Nigel Gilchrist said crews experienced "an extremely busy weekend".

Climate scientist Ed Hawkins told the BBC "heat events" like this were "emerging earlier and intensifying faster", though Wednesday was expected to be slightly cooler.

Gilchrist, from the RNLI lifeboat station in Southend, said his crews were called out 15 times between Saturday and Monday, which was "pretty tiring work".

They helped people caught out by the tides and swimmers out of their depth.

"If you do get into trouble yourself, float to live, which actually saved one of our casualties' lives on Saturday," he said.

"We're pretty proud to announce that well over 50 people have managed to survive by using the float method."

This method involves tilting your head backwards until your ears are submerged and, crucially, not panicking.

An amber heat health alert had been issued for the East of England by the Met Office, ahead of the bank holiday.

Highs of 32C were also reached in Marham, south of King's Lynn in Norfolk on Monday, while the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden confirmed its weather station recorded 33.2C (91.8F).

The UK recorded its all-time highest May temperature, as 34.8C (94.6F) was confirmed at London's Kew Gardens.

The Met Office said this temperature would be "exceptional in the UK even in mid summer, let alone in May".

The average temperature for the end of May is 14-20C (57-68F).

Hawkins, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, told the BBC that these soaring temperatures were due to climate change.

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