A new record temperature set during last week's heatwave has taken the crown from Faversham after nearly 16 years.

The Met Office recorded a temperature of 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Garden last Thursday - just 0.2C hotter than the previous record.

Faversham had held the record since August 2003 when 38.5C was registered in the town.

The reading was confirmed on Monday after official checks were carried out by meteorologists.

Roads melted and Swale council closed its offices early at the Alexander Centre in Faversham as the county sizzled in temperatures of more than 37C.

Exceptionally high temperatures swept across Europe and south east England for several days peaking on Wednesday and Thursday in the mid-30s.

The new record temperature (101.6 Fahrenheit) was taken inside the grounds of the gardens at the University of Cambridge which houses a Met Office climate observation station.

It reports weather conditions every 24 hours and triggered a preliminary announcement on Friday but has now been verified.

Some stations report observations monthly and the Met Office says another record could still be announced.

Climate change means heatwaves - despite being rare extreme conditions - could become more intense in future.

Dr Mark McCarthy, from the Met Office, said: "The UK climate has been warming since the mid 20th century. This has been accompanied by similar increase in the hottest day of the year, which for the most recent decade has been 0.8C higher when compared with the period 1961-1990.

"Climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe which will have also increased the risks of a 40C temperature event in the UK."

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