UK authorities upgraded health alerts for England as heat wave conditions are forecast to see London reach 34C (93F) by Saturday.

Almost 600 people are expected to die in the soaring heatwave temperatures. The hot weather is expected to peak today – Saturday, June 21 – with temperatures of 34°C, below the June record of 35.6°C in 1976.

The first heat-health alerts of the year will come into effect later, with Met Office warnings for thunderstorms also in place over the next few days.The yellow heat alerts, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA),