No relief for baking Europe

Across the region people are cooling off by any means possible

The record breaking heatwave that has been hitting Europe for the past week is continuing unabated, with rivers drying up, rail tracks buckling and forest fires blazing.

Following a day that saw London temperatures reaching an all time high of 35.3C, forecasters are saying that more records could tumble in the next few days.

Across the continent 37 people have now died as a result of the searing heat or deadly forest fires.

Portugal has been hardest hit by the fires with about 54,000 hectares (133,500 acres) of woodland devastated, but firefighters have now managed to bring most of the worst blazes under control.

Europe's scorching summer

In pictures

"The situation is much calmer than it has been in recent days," Gil Martins, director of the National Rescue Operation Centre, said.

Mr Martins said that only one fire, about 180 km north-east of Lisbon, was still out of control.

More than 2,300 firefighters and 700 soldiers have been involved in the effort.

Germany has sent three Puma helicopters that were used to tackle last week's fires in France to help them.

Meanwhile in the capital Lisbon, police investigating the cause of the fires said that they had arrested 26 suspected arsonists, including one former firefighter.

Early estimates of the damage toll includes the loss of 20,000 hectares of cork trees - Portugal is the world's biggest cork producer, exporting 880m euros worth each year.

In other parts of Europe:

• Farmers in Brittany say at least 100,000 animals, mainly poultry, have died in the heat and fire services have been called out to douse chicken sheds with water
  

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• An Austrian specialist advised couples to restrict sexual activity to night time to avoid increasing the risk of heart attacks
• Fan suppliers reported a run on stocks throughout the continent
• A British Airways Concorde was forced to stop in Canada to refuel as hot air, and its consequential high pressure, caused the plane to burn more fuel
• Authorities in Switzerland have reported signs that Alpine ice caps are melting, raising fears of landslides as rock faces are dislodged
• Water levels on the river Danube have dropped to such low levels that the wrecks of Nazi ships sunk in World War II have become visible and Serbia said traffic along the waterway may need to be stopped
• Sales of ice creams and lollies have sky rocketed across the region, with UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's reporting a 60% rise in ice cream sales

Fires are continuing to burn around Italy, with 350 separate outbreaks reported on Wednesday alone.

Firefighters began evacuating residents of the suburbs of the northern city of Genoa, which is surrounded by smoking hills.

And in the south dense smoke from wildfires forced police to close the scenic Sorento-Amalfi coastal road for several hours.