In Pictures: Hottest July day ever

Wednesday became the hottest July day ever in England with temperatures above 36C (97F). Azizah, an Asian elephant at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, did her best to cool down.

Amber Gibbs and her daughter Savannah also used water to refresh themselves in a fountain near Tower Bridge in London.

The hot sun drew crowds to seaside resorts and the beach at Bournemouth in Dorset was packed with sunbathers.

Along the south coast in Brighton the sea was appealing to more sun worshippers - and their inflatable dinosaur friends.

A more sedate form of relaxation appealed to this woman taking a rest by the fountain in Trafalgar Square in London.

Elsewhere in London the rare solanum laciniatum, commonly known as the Kangaroo Apple and native to south-eastern Australia, was thriving in heatwave conditions in Westminster.

Severn Valley Railway fire man Andy Christie needed a squirt of water to cool himself down on the footplate of his steam engine as it pulled into Kidderminster station, Worcestershire.