The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis".

“What we used to call a July phenomenon is now arriving in mid-May", according to one weather forecaster.

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week.

Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, Ireland, France and Spain