Update: Herts Fire Service has declared a major incident after extreme heatwave temperatures saw a spike in callouts - including to a field fire at Codicote, near Hitchin.

On the hottest day in recorded history after the mercury eased past 40C on Tuesday (July 19) Herts Fire Service have declared a major incident.

The extreme temperatures across our county have seen a spike in incidents with the numbers of calls to the service increasing dramatically, including a fire in Codicote.

Herts Fire & Rescue tweeted: "We have declared a major incident in Hertfordshire as a result of the number of calls we are receiving and incidents we are attending.

"Our Fire Control operators are receiving a very high volume of calls to a large number of incidents across the country as a result of the extreme weather."

The main incidents across the county relate to the following:

Codicote near Hitchin - field fire with 12 appliances in attendance

Hamels Lane, Buntingford – combine harvester fire with six appliances in attendance

M1 – RTC involving a large vehicle with five appliances in attendance

Rushden - field fire with six appliances in attendance

Hemel Hempstead – field fire with six appliances in attendance

The Fire Service added that when you dial 999 to report an incident please be patient while their operators work to get to your call as quickly as they can.