UK weather forecast: bin lorry MELTS into road on hottest day of heatwave yet... ahead of bumper weekend of England World Cup game, Wimbledon and Pride celebrations

Temperatures could reach scorching 33C as capital gears up for weekend of festivities and sporting celebrations
A road in Newbury had to be closed after a West Berkshire Council bin lorry started sinking into tarmac
Thames Valley Police
Chloe Chaplain6 July 2018

London and the south-east is sizzling in the hottest day of the heatwave yet with temperatures expected to reach 33C.

Met Office forecasters said London would bear the brunt of the hot conditions on Friday which could see temperatures topping the record for the hottest day of the year so far.

Meanwhile, a road in Newbury had to be closed after a West Berkshire Council bin lorry started sinking into tarmac.

Shocking pictures showed a gaping hole in the road where asphalt had melted away.

The asphalt gave way under intense heat in Newbury
PA

In the capital predictions suggested the mercury will hit 31 to 32C, with a 40 per cent chance of it reaching 33C throughout the day.

The hot weather will leave Londoners enduring a less-than-comfortable commute on warm and busy trains but came as the capital was gearing up for a weekend of Pride festivities and sporting celebrations.

Two people take a selfie on Waterloo Bridge infront of the skyline of the City financial district of London, as people enjoy the continuing spell of hot weather
PA

Pub beer gardens are set to be jam-packed with football fans watching England take on Sweden in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

Thousands of people will take to the streets to celebrate Pride in London this weekend

And tennis lovers can enjoy the Wimbledon tournament in the sunshine - with those unable to snag tickets able to watch the action on big screens around the capital.

Hot weather: Spectators bask in soaring temperatures on Murray Mound
PA

More than one million people are also expected to descend on central London to attend this year's Pride Festival.

UK Heatwave - In pictures

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The annual parade will clash with the football and organisers said they hope "all the rainbows, unicorns and glitter will work their magic" for England on Saturday.

Hot: Children cool off in the fountains on the Southbank, London
PA

Alison Camps, co-chairwoman of Pride in London, said: "I'm hoping there will be even more people celebrating on the streets after England have a famous victory."

Brits are expected to prepare for BBQs and garden parties in their droves, with a quarter of all people planning to flout concerns over water supplies and install a paddling pool in their back garden.

Cooling off: Arianna Espiritu Kelly, 2, eats an ice-cream in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London
PA

So far in the heatwave, the highest temperature recorded was in Porthmadog in Wales, which reached 33C exactly on June 28. In England, the highest was 31.9C.

Weather forecaster Emma Salter said: "There's no let up in sight in terms of the dry weather and high temperatures through the week.

The famous heatwave of 1976 - In pictures

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"It's pretty much dry across the board and no sign of rain."

Both Saturday and Sunday could also see temperatures of 32C in London and the south of England.

Ms Salter continued: "From Monday or Tuesday the really high temperatures will start to gradually come down, but it will still be in the high 20s so it will be 'less hot' rather than cooler."

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