Parts of England sweltered in temperatures of up to 29C, today while firefighters grappled with a lack of resources amid the heatwave.

The Met Office forecast patchy cloud across the north with some light rain and the odd shower in Scotland. Despite this, temperatures will remain warm, particularly across England and Wales. In London, highs of 30C are predicted, while Cardiff will only be slightly cooler at 29C.

It comes as firefighters travelled across the UK to help tackle the major wildfire at Holt Heath, Dorset, fuelling calls for increased firefighting resources.

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Ben Selby, Fire Brigades Union assistant general secretary said services had undergone "14 years of austerity".

"The loss of 1 in 5 firefighter posts to cuts, with fire engines taken off the run and fire stations closed up and down the country, means that there is no resilience left," he said.

"Wildfires are intensive incidents, requiring a large number of firefighters and specialist resources. They are becoming increasingly severe and frequent as a result of the climate emergency."

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue estimated the blaze had burned through 72ha and would remain on the scene overnight.
"Crews are still working in three sectors dealing with an increase in flare-ups, hotspots and deep-seated fires identified using drones," the statement read. This is due to the weather conditions."

Crews travelled from Merseyside, South Wales, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Surrey, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Avon, Essex and Kent among others, to assist local emergency services.

The UK Health Security Agency said yellow warnings will remain in place for Yorkshire and Humber, the East and West Midlands, London and the South East, South West and east of England until 6pm on August 18.

The weekend should be dry and sunny for most parts of the UK, with the mercury forecast to hover around 30C on Saturday and 29C on Sunday in south-west England.

Meanwhile, the high temperatures have sparked a surge in vehicle breakdowns from Hot tyres failing. The RAC said it received 10% more callouts between Monday and Thursday compared with the same period last week.

RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: "With the extreme heat expected to continue into the weekend, we're warning drivers to take every precaution possible to avoid getting stranded at the side of the road.

"We've already seen a 10% increase in breakdowns this week with faulty tyres being the main cause.

"When temperatures rise, the heat of the air inside tyres does the same, so it's especially important to check the pressure and condition before a long journey.

"This is especially crucial if your car is parked on the street - rather than in a garage - where it's directly exposed to the sun.