Temperatures in Hitchin have passed 34C for six days in row for first time since 1961 - but thunderstorms are moving in.

The Met Office has said the heatwave weather has prompted the mercury to record record highs in north Herts for just short of week - for the first time in 59 years.

The country's national weather forecaster has warned that flooding, damage to buildings, travel disruptions and power cuts could occur on Thursday along with 30 to 40mm (1.1in to 1.6in) of rainfall in less than an hour in some places.

Ironically, as the storms are set to hit Hitchin and its surrounding areas after the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning thanks to unsettled conditions caused by the heatwave - water firms have advised customers in many places to curb their usage in the current conditions.

Forecaster Greg Dewhurst told PA Media: "It's not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.

"If rain is falling on places that have been quite hot and dry, and the ground is quite hard, the rain doesn't have anywhere to go, and from that we can see flash flooding."