Britain has now had as many 30C days in 2026 as in the infamous year of 1976 as the country experiences its third heatwave of the summer, forecasters revealed today.

The Met Office said temperatures peaked at 30.1C in Hurn in Dorset yesterday, making it the ninth day in a row when 30C has been exceeded somewhere in the UK.

It comes as police smashed the window of a Volvo to save a trapped dog which had been left in a car park near Brent Cross shopping centre in north-west London.

And Brits have been desperately fighting each other for bottled water in Costco supermarkets as some were filmed trying to take entire pallets in their trolleys.

There have been 24 days in 2026 – consecutive and non-consecutive – when 30C has been beaten somewhere in the UK: seven in May, eight in June and nine in July.

That equals the number of 30C-plus days in 1976, which lingers in the UK’s memory for its heatwave and drought conditions that forced people to use standpipes.

With a month-and-a-half of the summer still to come, 2026 has some way to go to reach the record in 1995, when the country had 34 days of 30C-plus temperatures.

However, 2026 is already the first year to have recorded temperatures of 35C or higher on six separate days and has seen a record nine days above 34C.

Police smashed the window of a Volvo to save a trapped dog which had been left in a car park at Brent Cross shopping centre in north-west London yesterday – before telling off the owner 

Two police officers removed the dog after the car’s window had been smashed yesterday

At Brent Cross, the video showed two police attempting to rescue a dog after the car’s window had been smashed, before one of the officers tells off the owner.

He says: ‘You left your dog to suffer. It’s not on. I don’t know why you are leaving your dog unattended even for a few minutes, especially in this heat.

‘We’ve had to come down and force entry into your vehicle because members of the public were concerned [for] your dog due to the way it’s breathing, it’s panicking.

‘It’s obviously panicking because it’s hot inside. Did you not think to check on your dog or bring it inside on a leash?’

The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers were called at 11.05am to the Tesco Extra car park near Brent Cross shopping centre on Tilling Road. 

The two officers could not find the car’s owner so smashed the front window of the Volvo to rescue the dog.

A spokesman said: ‘On Monday, July 13 at 11.05am police were called following concerns for the welfare of a dog inside a car at Tilling Road, Brent Cross.

‘Officers made efforts to identify the owner, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Due to the hot weather and the time elapsed, police forced entry to the car and removed the dog for its safety.

‘Police later reunited the dog with its owner and provided advice and guidance to prevent a similar incident from happening again. There will be no further action.’

It comes as videos posted on TikTok showed extraordinary scenes at Costco as shoppers grapple to get their hands on bottles as soon as they come out onto the shop floor.

Customers are queueing up for packs of Kirkland Signature Natural Spring Water, which contain 40 units of 500ml bottles for just £4.02 and are in high demand.

The warehouse club chain has limited shoppers to a maximum of five packs, but some can be seen piling their trolleys with far more amid ‘panic buying’ claims.

In one video, screaming can be heard as men and women jostle with each other to take a pack of water to their trolleys and one shopper exclaims: ‘Wow.’

A staff member is seen desperately attempting to direct people with hand gestures as she shouts: ‘Right, single file down there, everybody that side, now.’

Another video shows shoppers pushing huge pallets of bottled water through the store, as a man says: ‘Trust me, is there any need for this in Costco?

‘Why does everybody feel the need to snatch a stack of pallets of water like this, so nobody else can get any? Look at them, just fighting over bottled water.’

A further clip shows a woman brawling with a man as she is pushed back and others attempt to separate them, while someone shouts: ‘Hey, no fighting, no.’

In a different video, staff in Watford bring pallets out into the store, with shoppers kept behind a ribbon – before this is taken down and they start grabbing packs.

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Another clip has shoppers scrambling to take packs off a pallet, with one man seen loading four into his trolley – and the full stock is taken in about 30 seconds.

A separate video of people grabbing bottles is narrated by a woman saying: ‘This is ridiculous. It’s terrible, isn’t it. Take what you need, tomorrow it’s not guaranteed.’

In one clip narrated by TikTok user DJ Eren, he shows people piling as many packs of water as possible into their trolleys at the store in Chingford, east London.

He said: ‘Check this out yeah, everyone’s waiting for the water to come out at Costco Chingford and there’s a queue. It’s coming out now, madness, look at this.

‘I got two that’s enough, two. If everyone just bought normally, this would not happen. Look, this pallet just came out ten seconds ago. This is what I’m talking about. Crazy man, honestly, buy normally and this won’t happen.’

‘Maybe just get one extra, but not ten extra. I’m telling you, it’s chaos. People create this chaos. If you just move normally and act normally, this won’t happen.’

Leeroy Stephan also filmed a clip of people grabbing water in the Chingford store, saying: ‘Why is everyone always fighting over Costco water, I don’t understand?’

Pointing out how quickly the water was taken, he added: ‘All the water’s gone, look. They just bought that crate out. That crate is done. I can’t believe this.’

A veil of smoke from the Peak District wildfires hangs over the Manchester skyline yesterday

Firefighters fight a blaze near the Dove Stone Reservoir in Greater Manchester yesterday

A fire in Walthamstow, east London, began on an embankment next to the rail line on Sunday

A wildfire near Sychnant Pass on Conwy Mountain in Wales on Sunday resulted in evacuations

A major blaze involving shrubbery near Stratford station in east London on Friday evening

Crews tackle a fire at Devil’s Dyke in South Downs National Park, West Sussex, on Saturday

He also looks at a sign showing the limit is five packs per customer, and shows one shopper with eight in his trolley, telling him: ‘I think you passed the limit.’

A third clip filmed in Chingford was captioned: ‘Absolute madness for water in Costco.’ A staff worker is seen bringing water out while shouting: ‘Guys, get back.’

Costco works as a membership-based wholesale club, where shoppers pay an annual fee to shop in their warehouses so the firm can pass on bulk-purchasing savings. The Daily Mail has contacted the American company for comment.

Meanwhile Britain is being gripped by its biggest ever ‘firewave’ as wildfires blaze in 19 locations during the latest heatwave and heat health warnings were extended.

Experts fear the fires are presenting an increased risk to homes and health given more appear to be burning near urban areas than in remote countryside.

Wildfires have impacted London, Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire, County Durham, East Sussex, West Sussex, Devon and Somerset in recent days.

Claire Belcher, director of the Wildfire Lab at the University of Exeter, said the latest firewave in England and Wales was the ‘most widespread that the UK has seen’.

She said climate change is causing wet winters leading to more vegetation growth which is then dried by long heatwaves, adding: ‘We’ve had lots of fires in certain regions before, but we’ve never seen fires burning right across the country like this.’

Ms Belcher also said: ‘We must manage our land better to reduce risks and stop fires spreading. The impact of wildfires on wildlife can be devastating.’

The heatwave threshold is defined as three consecutive days at or above a set temperature

The term ‘firewave’ was coined by Imperial College London researchers last year and describes multiple urban wildfires triggered by extended hot and dry weather.

It comes as parts of south-east England are on course to have no rain for nearly a month, with Wisley in Surrey having already experienced 26 consecutive dry days.

Areas of East Sussex have had no rain for 24 days; and it has been dry for 20 days in parts of London, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, according to the BBC.

Warm and dry conditions along with gusty easterly winds are creating a heightened risk for wildfires – as well as increased dangers for those cooling off in the water.

Emergency services are currently dealing with 19 active wildfire incidents, with fire and rescue teams dealing with a combination of large moorland and agricultural fires.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said latest assessments show ‘severe wildfire risk’ remains across large parts of England and Wales, with some locations continuing to have ‘extreme risk’.

Major incidents were declared for wildfires in North Wales and in Glossop, Derbyshire, in the Peak District.

A huge blaze broke out on the moors over Dove-stone Reservoir in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, on Saturday night.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of arson by detectives in Oldham yesterday morning.

Firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze, with helicopters seen using water from the reservoir to dampen the wildfire.

Greater Manchester Police said they received a report about fireworks being let off, but the cause is yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended heat health alerts, with seven regions of England issued with yellow warnings until Friday.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: ‘The heatwave continues for much of the UK this week where we could see temperatures peak on Wednesday, possibly a high of 33C in some parts of southern-central England.

‘Temperatures through much of this week for southern-central parts of England are into the low 30s, and mid to high 20s are even possible elsewhere.

‘It’s going to be a sunny and warm week for the vast majority of the UK as high pressure remains in charge of our weather regime and is leading to clearer skies for many and lack of rainfall for many as well.’

Affinity Water: A hosepipe ban for its central region highlighted in orange will begin on Friday

Southern Water: A hosepipe ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight began last Friday

Anglian Water: A hosepipe ban for five million customers in eastern England is now active

South East Water: A ban for Kent began on July 3, while other areas are being asked to cut use

Cambridge Water: A hosepipe ban for the company’s 350,000 customers will begin on Friday

Thames Water: All customers have been asked not to use hosepipes, but no ban is in place

Yorkshire Water: Customers are told to ‘use a watering can instead of a hose where you can’

However, temperatures are set to ease by the second half of the week.

He added: ‘What we can say as we get towards the weekend, we can see a slight dip in the temperatures to come.

‘So rather than the low 30s that we’ve seen through much of the week, by Saturday we’re looking at peak temperatures possibly in the mid-to-high 20s for many.

‘That’s largely because although high pressure is still in charge, we’re seeing more of a northerly influence, which is just helping to drop temperature slightly; still widely above average, and still warm and pleasant for many.

‘But not the kind of peak figures that we’ll see through much this week and that we saw through last week as well.’

The North West, South West, South East, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England and London have all been given yellow heat-health alerts by the UKHSA, with the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber regions spared.

In North Wales, the fire service urged people not to enter the area near the village of Capelulo, where dozens of homes had been evacuated, as they tackled a wildfire at Conwy Mountain.

Yesterday evening, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS) stood down its major incident and allowed the residents of 36 properties evacuated in Capelulo to return to their homes.

The service’s head of prevention Jody McEachern said: ‘Firefighters worked tirelessly throughout yesterday and overnight responding to a number of significant wildfire incidents across North Wales.

‘Significant work continues at Conwy Mountain and we will continue to monitor conditions closely throughout the day.

‘I would like to thank local communities for their patience and co-operation, and our firefighters, Control Room staff, partner agencies for their ongoing support.’

The NFCC also said that Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service were taking precautions to manage exceptionally high demand.

NFCC chairman Phil Garrigan said: ‘Fire and rescue services are currently responding to multiple significant wildfires across the UK, with challenging conditions helping fires to spread quickly and over large areas.

‘When vegetation is this dry, it only takes one spark to start a fire. What may begin as a small incident can escalate at speed, placing communities, firefighters and the environment at risk.

‘We are strongly urging everyone to take extra care while enjoying the outdoors.

‘Avoid using disposable barbecues in parks, moorland, countryside areas and other open spaces, never discard cigarettes on the ground, and make sure any litter is taken home.

‘Wildfires can cause immense damage to landscapes, wildlife, agriculture and local communities, while also placing significant pressure on emergency services.

‘A few simple actions can make a huge difference in helping to prevent fires before they start.’

Drought fears are rising with officials particularly worried about East Anglia, Devon, Cornwall, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight following a very dry spring and summer.

Hosepipe bans have been announced by Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, South East Water and Southern Water.

People in the affected areas now cannot use hosepipes for watering their garden, washing cars, outdoor areas or windows or filling up swimming or paddling pools.

Thames Water and Yorkshire Water are urging people to stop using hosepipes but have not imposed bans.

Severn Trent, Essex and Suffolk Water, Wessex Water and Portsmouth Water are among other firms urging customers to use water wisely.

Water minister Emma Hardy met with bosses two weeks ago to discuss their preparedness for a hot summer.

The UK has seen new record temperatures for May and June so far this year, with a peak of 37.7C at Lingwood in Norfolk last month.