emirates7 - Much of Western Europe was sweltering in a gruelling heatwave on Friday with the mercury expected to continue rising in the coming days, shattering temperature records.

France was hit hard, forcing hundreds of schools to tweak their timetables to cope. Forecasters warned of an “intense and long-lasting” heatwave that could see temperatures in Paris soar above 40C for the first time on a June day.

France is at the heart of the current upsurge, with the country having just experienced its hottest spring since records began in 1900.

Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain have all raised alert levels for the coming days.

The UK’s Met Office said there was a 40 percent chance of beating the record temperature for a June day, set in 1976.