In Pictures: Scorching day for Britons as heatwave intensifies

Scorching conditions continue to blight the landscape, with leisure activities impacted by the hot temperatures – while elsewhere emergency measures were taken to protect river life.

Sunrise brought with it the first of four forecast days of amber alert conditions, with reservoirs across the UK already severely depleted and some rivers dwindling in size.

The conditions present a clear and present danger to some wildlife, and moves were afoot to protect those species threatened by the dried-up river habitats.

At the River Mole in Dorking, measures were taken to remove creatures from increasingly sparse pools.