But some have been surprised at how soon 40C has happened in the UK. The Met Office said these temperatures were thought improbable a decade ago. TM: Many of the images clearly have an esoteric meaning behind them – are you someone who looks into decoding those things?

After the blistering heat, we're starting to see a notable drop off in temperatures for some, following a cold front sweeping in from the west.

Progress against Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations

There’s a huge tradition of visionary and unhinged artists in this country. A lot of the greatest artists weren’t the most conventional, like William Blake. But there’s also people like Louis Wain with the cat picture, who ended up in the asylum. He did anthropomorphic cats that sold hundreds of thousands of copies, then suddenly he started having visions and drawing these terrifying psychedelic visuals of cats. The London Ambulance Service said the total number of people taken to hospital may not be known until Wednesday morning. Residents were evacuated from their homes in the village, with the blaze igniting buildings and fields nearby. Around 100 firefighters have been working to bring it under control. Thirty fire engines and 175 firefighters to a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster, where smoke billowed over the M25 motorway

We are providing vehicle support to transport firefighters to and from incidents to ensure fire engines can stay where they are needed most. We will continue to work closely with our partners to provide whatever further support we can. It’s swelteringly hot here - temperatures reached 37C - and those warm winds we’ve been experiencing all day have hampered efforts to douse the flames in north Kent. When it shows you from the sky it just freaks you out," says Riminta. "Our house is on the news", says Nikas, "it's the only house that hasn't been burned so far."Ms Maceikaite said they were "very anxious" about their home, adding: "When you look on a camera when it shows you from the sky it just freaks you out."

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has seen a "significant increase" in grass fires over the last month, with numbers rising even further this week. He still uses that as it was what he first started painting with. It gives all his paintings a weird spin. They’re of the wastelands and playgrounds of Coventry. These are the most humble places, suffering from austerity. Some of the paintings are like William Blake’s. I doubt he’s religious, but they’re visually intense. That kind of tradition of artists like Blake or Turner who would have these luminous landscapes with angels and gods, that continues with a lot of modern art. George Shaw. Scenes from the Passion A Few Days Before Christmas (Tile Hill, Coventry). Credit: Cincinnati Art Museum Others have been evacuated from their homes as blazes rage in Dagenham, east London on Tuesday afternoon. Fascinating, vibrant, and overwhelmingly powerful, this is a unique look at England in its magical and rebellious glory … A LoveReading Star book, England on Fire is truly beautiful, it’s astute, inclusive, and absolutely magical.” -Liz Robinson,LoveReading.co.uk Two people were also taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation following a fire in Dagenham, with the full number of casualties unknown.

Video caption: UK heatwave: wildfires filmed near Bedford UK heatwave: wildfires filmed near Bedford