Many parts of the UK are today counting the cost of the country’s hottest day on record, with homes and businesses claimed by wildfires as temperatures topped 40C.

Flames ripped through homes as Britain was scorched by extreme heat and the country glimpsed what could be the new reality in the summer months.

A ring of fires in and around London saw a major incident declared in the capital, with people being evacuated and many taken to hospital.

All around the country firefighters were inundated with calls, with one fire chief calling the “brutal” day a “game-changer” and a preview of the effects of climate change.

The Met Office said 34 observation sites across England provisionally broke the previous all-time record, ranging from Bramham, in West Yorkshire, to Charlwood, in Surrey, while a further five had equalled it on Tuesday.

Temperatures are expected to drop by up to 10C in some areas on Wednesday, with heavy showers and thunderstorms to lash parts of the country, potentially causing localised flooding.

However other parts of the UK will still see highs of up to 30C and with little rain for months in some areas, the threat of wildfires remains.

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In the village of Wennington on the outskirts of east London, several houses were destroyed and others were severely damaged after grass fires broke out, engulfing properties, as black smoke billowed into the air.

Aerial footage showed flames tearing across tinder-dry fields and approaching a historic church.

Asked what conditions were like, a firefighter at the scene replied: “Absolute hell.”

A total of six sites, mostly in Greater London, saw temperatures reach or exceed 40C.

Major incidents were also declared by fire brigades in Leicestershire and South Yorkshire as dozens of fires broke out amid the sweltering heat.

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Dave Walton, deputy chief fire officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said Tuesday was a “peek into the future” amid huge demand for firefighters.

He said: “It’s about a completely and fundamentally different operating environment where fires burn with such ferocity, and spread with such speed in suburban areas that you can’t stop them.

“We’ve seen the kind of conditions faced by international colleagues just miles from our capital city, and in towns, villages and cities the length and breadth of the country.

“Today was about climate change, the hottest UK day on record – ever!”

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