The UK experienced its second-hottest day on record when the mercury hit 38.1C in Cambridge on Thursday, which also made it the hottest July day ever.

While records tumbled across Europe, temperatures in Britain did not rise above the highest-ever temperature of 38.5C, recorded on 10 August 2003 near Faversham in Kent.

Experts have warned Britain will suffer record temperatures like this week’s more often in future – with 40C becoming the “new normal” as global carbon emissions are still rising.

The scorching temperatures caused chaos on the rail network, and medical experts warned few hospitals were prepared for the impact of intense heat on patients and staff.

Across Europe, countries from Belgium and the Netherlands to Germany have experienced all-time highs this week, with Paris reaching 42.6C, and France and Belgium issuing red alerts.

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Reports in France suggested five deaths may have been caused by the heatwave, and 40.9C was recorded in northwestern Germany.

Jon Shonk, a research scientist at the University of Reading, said: “There is a clear link between climate change and heatwaves.

“What we are experiencing today is an extreme, record-breaking heatwave event. But as the climate warms, these extreme events will become even hotter.

“The sort of heatwaves we are experiencing today could become more frequent in future as the climate warms.”

Jaise Kuriakose, a lecturer at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Manchester, said the UK climate in future years would become more like that of Spain or southern France, with 38C or 40C a new summer normal for the south of England.

“What we can confidently say is average summer temperatures will be around 40C in the south, and 36C or 38C in the north. And that’s not necessarily the peak – just the average,” he told The Independent.

“Global emissions have increased since 1990 and we haven’t seen any evidence of a global effort to reduce them – it’s all on paper but on the ground it’s taking time.

“Every day we delay means more emissions – the main driver for climate change.”

Many people travelling faced difficulties on Thursday. The Independent’s Simon Calder found temperatures of up to 36.6C (97.9F) on the London Underground – higher than the human body.

Rail services suffered disruption as speed restrictions were imposed because of fears that tracks would buckle if trains travelled any faster, meaning services had to be dropped.

The extreme conditions also damaged overhead electric wires, blocking all lines between London and Luton and causing disruption in other areas.

Many operators urged people not to travel. East Midlands Trains tweeted: “Please, DO NOT TRAVEL today.”

Dr Pete Inness, associate professor in meteorology at the University of Reading, said: “Given that the heatwave we experienced in Europe in 2003 is to become pretty much the norm by the middle of this century unless some pretty drastic actions are taken very soon, I’d say a temperature of 40C may well be recorded somewhere in the UK by 2050 and possibly up to a decade earlier – that’s a personal assessment.”

Medical experts warned few lessons had been learnt from last year. Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said NHS staff were struggling, and “overheated and exhausted staff” were at greater risk of making errors.

“Last year, hospitals hired large fans and coolers for a week or so but have got nothing long-term in place – they are purely reactive not proactive,” he said, adding there was often little in place for staff to get fluids on wards.

Last month was the planet’s hottest ever June, and Antarctic sea ice coverage shrank to a new record low, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A UK Met Office study last year found the probability of similar weather 30 times more likely than in pre-industrial times.

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Michael Byrne, from Oxford University, said the heat posed serious health risks and questions about how the UK is preparing for “increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves”.