The Met Office has updated its weather alerts ahead of what could become one of the hottest spells of the year, with Lancashire among the areas covered by an amber warning from midnight on Wednesday (June 24th) until 11pm on Thursday.

Lancashire has been placed under an amber extreme heat warning as forecasters warn temperatures could climb towards 40C in parts of England this week.

The warning comes as a separate red alert has also been issued for parts of southern England and Wales, where temperatures are expected to reach between 38C and 40C.

Forecasters say very hot weather will continue across much of England and Wales until at least Thursday, with temperatures widely expected to exceed 30C. Overnight temperatures are also forecast to remain unusually high, with some places not dropping below 20C.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "Very hot weather will continue in general until at least Thursday across the highlighted region, although some variations from place to place and day by day are likely.

"Temperatures by day are widely expected to exceed 30C, with the hottest areas potentially peaking around 38-40C within the embedded red warning.

"Overnight, temperatures are unlikely to fall much lower than high teens Celsius, and some places will not fall below low 20s Celsius. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by high humidity."

The Met Office has warned the heat could have significant impacts across the country, including serious health risks, disruption to travel networks and increased pressure on essential services.

Officials say population-wide health effects are likely, not just among vulnerable groups, with the potential for serious illness or danger to life. There are also concerns over possible failures of heat-sensitive infrastructure, including power, water, gas and mobile phone services.

Road users and rail passengers are being warned to expect potential delays and cancellations, while emergency services are also concerned about an increased risk of water-related incidents as more people head to beaches, rivers and lakes to cool down.

Residents are being urged to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day and check on elderly relatives, neighbours and anyone with underlying health conditions.

Anyone feeling unwell because of the heat, or concerned about somebody else, is advised to contact NHS 111.