A North East town is set to see sweltering temperatures today as many prepare for the hottest day on record in the UK.

Weather forecasters have warned of adverse health affects a long with disruption to road and rail use being likely.

Read more: Met Office weather: Exact time heatwave will peak in North East today

An amber alert for extreme heat is also in place today for much of the North East as today is set to bring peak temperatures.

The Northern Echo:

The alert, which is in place until midnight tonight, also warns of an increased chance of heat-sensitive systems failing, a long with more people visiting coastal areas and lakes, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents.

Yesterday temperatures reached highs of 35c in some places and resulted in some businesses closing their doors.

Many dog-friendly cafés shut their doors to the public in order to keep the furry friends safe.

The Northern Echo:

A bridal dress shop also closed its doors due to dresses not fitting properly during the hot weather.

Tomorrow, however, the mercury is set to reach even higher levels with some places in the North East seeing temperatures as high as 38c.

Read more: North East heatwave: Middlesbrough to be hottest, according to Met Office

In Newton Aycliffe, temperatures are expected to be exceptionally hot with highs of 38c at 3pm in the afternoon.

The County Durham town will see much of the hot weather in the afternoon from 1pm when temperatures are set to climb until 4pm when temperatures are expected to drop again.

However, in what will be good news for many, the feels-like temperature is only expected to reach highs of 33c due to strong winds throughout the day.

Humidity in the town is also low, meaning the day will feel much less sticky.

Read more: North East heatwave: Council issues warning for notorious Richmond Falls

Temperatures are expected to stay warm throughout Tuesday night continuing to be moderate into Wednesday when temperatures will be no higher than 21c.

----------

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054