In short:

France has been hit with a heatwave of daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius, with several towns experiencing their hottest day in decades.

Two children, aged two and four, died in a hot car on Monday and multiple drownings have been reported as people sought relief in rivers.

What’s next?

Forecasters in Britain have also predicted temperatures could break records for June this week, while Italy has issued heatwave red alerts for 12 cities.