NORTH Yorkshire zookeepers were handing out fruit lollies to lemurs as the region basked in a heatwave today.

The Met Office had declared a “level three” heatwave alert for North Yorkshire and the North-East with temperatures in the late 20s and even reaching 33C in some parts.

Those that could, took to the region’s beaches and parks to soak up the scorching summer weather on what has been the hottest day this year.

At Flamingoland Resort, near Pickering, keepers helped animals to cool off by adding shade and water pools to many enclosures. Zoo manager Ross Snipp said it was the African Spurred tortoises who were probably having the most fun in the sun.

“Because they’re cold-blooded they soak up that heat from the sun - the more heat they soak up the more active they become," he said.

“They’re a little bit like a wind-up toy; they just keep going and going and going. They won’t stop until it starts to cool down when the sun goes down.”

He said even animals originating from hotter parts of the world needed monitoring during the extreme heat.

Elsewhere in the zoo, animals such as Madagascan lemurs were given frozen fruit lollies made from their usual fruit to keep cool.

The mini heatwave prompted Public Health England to issue a warning about keeping an eye on people at risk to help them stay cool and hydrated, especially older people with underlying health conditions and young children.

The heatwave is expected to last into Thursday, but not necessarily with blue skies for everyone.

The Met Office has warned there is the potential for “severe thunderstorms” to develop across the region on Wednesday.

Areas hit by storms run the risk of localised flash flooding and the Met Office has warned some places could see about 30mm of rain an hour, or more than 50mm over several hours.

Lightning, hail and strong winds could accompany the storms. The Met Office warned: “Whilst most places will miss the worst, please be aware of the risk of localised flash flooding.

“Frequent lightening, large hail and strong winds could be additional hazards.

“All of this could lead to some flooding of homes, businesses and transport networks. Disruption to power is also possible.”

Temperatures are expected to be closer to the national average towards the end of the week.