
Britons are enjoying the hottest weather of the year for the fourth consecutive day as temperatures finally passed the magic 90F (32C) mark.

Glorious sunshine sent the mercury soaring across the country this afternoon, as the UK's five-day heatwave peaked at 32.6C, amid fears of a drought and dried up reservoirs amid record-low rainfall.

Water companies even called for Brits to limit their showers to just four minutes in a bid to safeguard supplies, as the Met Office claimed it was 'touch and go' whether or not this month could be the driest June on record.

So far this month, Kent has had only eight per cent of its long-term average rainfall, with Sussex receiving just four per cent.

It is likely to be a record-breaking day in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the Met Office confidently predicting that today's blistering heat could see the highest temperatures for June in both countries beaten.

BBC forecasters say the June record of 32.2C in Ochertyre in Perth and Kinross in 1893 could be broken today, while Northern Ireland's 30.8C record is also under immense threat.

University student Elaine Anderson, 18 and Lynsey Anderson, 22, bask in record temperatures on Ayr Beach, Ayrshire, as it reaches 28C

People relax in the sun during lunchtime as they sit in Potters Fields Park, backdropped by the Tower of London, in London

Shannon McClafferty, 17 relaxes by the Forth Clyde Canal by colourful huts at Helix Park, Falkirk as the hot weather continues

Sunbathers on Brighton beach today. Britons are enjoying the hottest weather of the year for the fourth consecutive day as temperatures finally passed the magic 90F (32C) mark

Roller-skaters in the warm weather in Hyde Park, London. Britons are enoying the hottest temperatures of the year for the fourth day in a row this week

Benaiche Sarah, 49, Messaadi Fatiha, 53, and Messaadi Sarah, 23, enjoy their day on the beach in Ayrshire in Scotland today

People watch 'The Never Ending Story' movie on an outdoor cinema screen at Canalside Steps, Granary Square, London

Surfer Lucie Rose Donlan, aged 20, from Newquay in Cornwall, enjoys the hot weather at the Fistral Beach this morning

A pigeon is obviously feeling the heat as it tries to cool down by feeding on a discarded ice cream cone in Green Park, London

Nicola Cuthbertson and Janice Buchanan enjoy the hot weather under The Kelpies at Helix Park, Falkirk (pictured this afternoon)

A group of people dressed in green morphsuits in Green Park, London were likely to be feeling the heat this afternoon

Glorious sunshine will send the mercury soaring across the country this afternoon, when the UK's five-day heatwave is expected to peak (pictured are sunbathers in Brighton)

As the record for the hottest day of the year is repeatedly beaten this week, visitors enjoy the hot weather in Christchurch, Dorset today

Sunbathers have some fun on Brighton beach today. Tomorrow is expected to be a dry, sunny and very warm or hot day for most. It will be cooler for North Sea coasts, where there will be more in the way of cloud and a keen north-easterly breeze

Hurley Lock on a hot afternoon in Buckinghamshire. Huge spikes in demand for water at mornings and evening peak times mean utilities are having to pump billions more litres of water into the system

The heat was all too much for some sunbathers, who were forced to take shelter from the run, while others lapped it up

A woman working on a laptop in Green Park, London. If you like the warm weather, you're set for a treat for the rest of the week

People enjoy the cool waters on Brighton beach, with the cold sea offering a respite from the searing temperatures on the coast

Palma or Portobello? Sun revellers enjoy scorching temperatures up to 26 degrees, at Portobello beach in Edinburgh

Water companies are calling on customers to put away garden sprinklers, take short showers instead of baths, and avoid using hoses to clean cars or water the plants to reduce demand.

Huge spikes in demand for water at mornings and evening peak times mean utilities are having to pump billions more litres of water into the system, but they say it is often being used by customers as fast as it is supplied.

Customers in some areas may notice a drop in their water pressure, unless people make some simple changes to the way they use water, industry body Water UK warned.

Some parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire have seen supplies temporarily interrupted as a result of high demand, prompting Severn Water to set up bottled water collection points 'as a precaution'.

Overnight tanker crews also injected water directly into pipes in the region to keep customers supplied with water.

Severn Trent said there was plenty of water in reservoirs, and it had put an extra 300 million litres of water into its pipes on Wednesday, but the network could only carry 'so much water'.

Doug Clarke, Severn Trent's water efficiency expert, said: 'We need people to think about how they're using water - using a sprinkler might green up your lawn but that water would be better used for drinking or washing.'

He added: 'This is all about being neighbourly. Just think about whether you're making the absolute best of the drinking water we're producing for you and your neighbours.'

A woman wearing a black niqab relaxes in a deckchair in Green Park, London as others take shelter underneath the trees

A poodle take a dip in the cool waters in Brighton this afternoon, which is always a favourite destination of sunseekers on warmer days

People enjoy a hot afternoon on The River Thames at Marlow, Buckinghamshire this afternoon as the heat continues to rise

It was a picturesque scene in Brighton this afternoon as these two sunseekers took up a prime position on the stony beach

Two women eat ice-creams as they enjoy the warm weather in Hyde Park, London this afternoon with the temperature hitting 30C in some places

The hot dry conditions are spelling bad news for the harvest, especially for crops already affected by the year's cold wet start, farmers have warned

Sukhmandeep Kaur, 8, Jazz Sandhu, 11 and Manroop Kaur, 6, enjoy Ayr beach this afternoon as the country basks in sunshine

Sunseekers in Dorset. Glorious sunshine will send the mercury soaring across the country this afternoon, when the UK's five-day heatwave is expected to peak, leading to fears of a drought and dried up reservoirs amid record-low rainfall

There was no respite for these armed police officers on duty in Hyde Park, London, as they were forced to wear their full uniform in blistering heat

Cyclist Charlie Oriordan (pictured) takes a break in the warm weather on top of Ditching Beacon near Brighton, East Sussex

Harry Speakman, 18, takes a humorous dip in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens fountain today in scuba gear, as temperatures are set to hit record highs for a fourth day in a row

A lady enjoys her lunch in the warm weather on top of Ditching Beacon near Brighton as the rest of Britain enjoys another stellar day of weather

Britons are enjoying the hottest day of the year for the fourth consecutive day as forecasters predict that temperatures will finally pass the magic 90F (32C) mark

People enjoy the warm weather on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex, during the continued hot spell across the country

Customers in some parts of the Home Counties served by Affinity Water have also seen interruptions to supply or low pressure as a result of soaring demand for water in peak periods.

An Affinity Water spokesman said: 'We usually supply on average 900 million litres of water each day to 3.6 million people and we have had to significantly increase this to meet demand due to the hot weather.

'This demand is averaging at 1.2 billion litres of water per day, but at times this has peaked to 1.6 billion litres of water in a single day.

'We are asking all customers to use water wisely, to reduce the demand on our network.'

The company is urging people to adopt measures such as watering the garden with a watering can, teaming up children with their friends for paddling pool dates to avoid filling up too many pools and to not worry about the lawn going brown.

Cyclist, 70, is found dead on bike path after collapsing due to heat A 70-year-old cyclist was found dead on a bike path after collapsing in the middle of the day during the heatwave. The man was found unresponsive on the cycle path as temperatures soared to the high 20s. Police and ambulance serves were called to the scene in Cymmer, in the Afan Valley South Wales. But after attempts to resuscitate the cyclist failed he was pronounced dead. A South Wales Police spokesman said: 'Colleagues from the ambulance service attended but the man, who was in his 70s, could not be resuscitated. 'His next of kin have been told and there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.' Advertisement

Elsewhere people served by Southern Water 'may experience low pressure overnight as we refill the network to exceptionally high water demand. This is likely to be ongoing for the next few nights', the company said.

But rain in winter and spring had helped recharge reservoirs and groundwater supplies, so there were unlikely to be any restrictions such as hosepipe bans this summer, Southern Water said.

Despite seeing high demand, other companies were reporting no heatwave-related problems or threat of hosepipe bans, but called on households to conserve water.

Yesterday's top temperatures beat the previous highest temperature of the year, 30.7C (87.3F) recorded in Rostherne in Cheshire on Tuesday.

The heat has already claimed casualties - a 17-year-old boy was recovered from the River Aire in Leeds in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a search a rescue operation.

It is believed he got into difficulties while swimming on Tuesday evening.

Elsewhere, the search continues for 13-year-old Ryan Evans who has been missing since Monday after getting into difficulty in Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent.

The alarm was raised when he was spotted in distress with two other boys at one end of the lake at around 5pm.

The body of a man was also recovered from a lake in Nutfield, Surrey, on Monday.

The incidents have prompted warnings against cooling off in lakes and rivers due to the significant temperature difference which can bring about shock.

Meanwhile, the RSPCA also called on pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals in the heat after receiving 625 calls about animals in hot environments between June 11 and 24 - the majority about dogs in hot cars.

A spokeswoman said: '(We're receiving) almost two calls every hour, despite the charity's key advice being to call the police on 999 in the event of an emergency.'

Commuters endured delays after speed restrictions were imposed on rail lines where tracks were at risk of buckling due to the intense heat.

Swans in the morning mist on Esthwaite Water, Lake District this morning, with temperatures once again predicted to break the record for the year