Hundreds of extra deaths were recorded in England as a result of the heatwave in spring and early summer, official statistics show.

In the last week of June, when temperatures rose above 30C, 382 more deaths occurred than the average.

And during unseasonably warm spring temperatures in April, 243 more deaths were observed than the five-year average.

Experts said many of the deaths could have been prevented if the public had been made aware “about the increasing risks of heatwaves due to climate change”.

The Office for National Statistics’ quarterly mortality report only deals with the months from April to June, meaning the effect of the hot weather that continued throughout July is not accounted for.

The report revealed “specific instances of increased mortality that coincided with periods of increased temperature in England”.

It said: “From 25 June 2018 onwards, maximum temperatures exceeded 24.5 degrees Celsius, the level at which Public Health England warns that excess heat-related deaths may begin to become apparent. In that time, 382 more deaths occurred than the average for the same period from 2013 to 2017.”

UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Show all 35 1 /35 UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People on the beach at Croyde Beach in North Devon PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People enjoy the sun at Carsington Water in Derbyshire PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Sophie Todd, aged 7, and her mother Jane Todd playing in one of the Trafalgar Square fountains in London PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A couple play catch with a ball whilst swimming in the River Stour Getty Images UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Children play in the fountains at Granary Square, King's Cross PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A dog under an umbrella at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People sunbath on the clifftop at Woolacombe Beach in North Devon PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A woman stands in a field of sunflowers at Vine House Farm near Spalding, Lincolnshire PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A woman takes a selfie in front of St Paul's Chathedral PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Paddle boarders off the coast at Tynemouth , Tyne & Wear PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People on Woolacombe Beach in North Devon PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A canal boat passes along the Regent's Canal PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People relax in the warm weather on the beach in Brighton PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People enjoying the hot weather and sunshine on the banks of the River Thames in Putney Rex Features UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Spectators enjoy the hot weather during day seven of the Nature Valley International at Devonshire Park PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Hot and sunny day in Hyde Park's Serpentine lake Rex UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People relax in the warm weather on the beach in Eastbourne PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People sunbathe as they enjoy the warm weather on Bournemouth beach PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A person sunbathes on a blow up mattress in the sea off of Bournemouth beach in Dorset PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A couple relax in the sunshine on the beach in Brighton PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People play in water fountains in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Chris Bryant from Basingstoke paddle boards at Boscombe Beach in Dorset PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People shelter from the sun beneath umbrellas as they walk in St James's Park in London AFP/Getty Images UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Arianna Espiritu Kelly, 2, eats an ice-cream in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Victor the Polar Bear enjoys a dip in the water at Yorkshire Wildlife Park PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People on the beach in Brighton PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Woman relax in the sunshine on the beach in Hastings, Sussex PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People enjoy their lunch break in the sunshine near Tower Bridge in London PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Police horses drink from a water fountain during the hot weather in Green Park PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies Anglers fish on New Brighton beach on the Wirral, Merseyside as the sun rises over the Port of Liverpool and the River Mersey PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A family of lemurs enjoy an ice lolly at Yorkshire Wildlife Park PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies People enjoy the sunshine in St James's Park in in London AFP/Getty Images UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A duck swims in the algae covered lake in St James's Park, London PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A couple cycle in the sunshine around Bewl Water in Kent PA UK weather: Temperatures soar as heatwave intensifies A man takes a break in the sun on Southbank, London PA

This summer was the warmest on record in England, and analysis by the Met Office shows that the incidence of heatwave conditions is rising.

Roads melted and train tracks bent out of shape during the baking heat in late June.

Britons endured record breaking temperatures on consecutive days with the mercury rising to 33C in Porthmadog in Wales and similar highs recorded in England.

At the time, Public Health England issued a warning that the extreme heat could pose a risk to the most vulnerable.

But Bob Ward, of the respected Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said more could have been done to prevent additional deaths.

“These figures unfortunately confirm fears that hundreds of people in England died during hot weather in England earlier this year,” he said.

“It is likely that many of the people who died during the hot weather suffered from underlying illnesses, such as respiratory disease.

The Central Line in the heatwave: How hot is it?

“Nonetheless, many of these deaths may have been prevented if buildings were better adapted to prevent overheating.

“The government has been warned by experts for a number of years that the awareness of the public needed to be raised about the increasing risks of heatwaves due to climate change.”

The spike in deaths on 18 and 19 April, the hottest April days in 70 years when temperatures reached 28.3C in London, saw a fall in mortality rates in the days following.

One possible explanation the report suggests for the subsequent decrease is short-term mortality displacement, where an event that frail individuals are especially vulnerable to occurs, causing temporary depletion of the pool of those individuals who would have died in the short-term regardless.