Urgent warning over risk of killer heart attacks across European holiday hotspots

TEMPERATURES across European hotspots are set to hit record highs this week, prompting several health warnings.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned of an increased risk of deaths as extreme weather grip parts of the continent.

The Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Sicily and could see highs of more than 48C.

While Rome and Madrid could both reach temperatures in the mid to high 40Cs.

WMO forecasters also revealed the next two weeks will continue to deliver doses of intense heat.

Rising temperatures have caused wildfires to rage in Spain, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey, while France, Germany and Poland also prepare for scorching conditions.

Foreign Office officials have warned Brits heading to the continent to take care due to the possible health risks posed by "extreme" heat.

The extreme weather caused the death of a 44-year-old man who collapsed while painting a zebra crossing in Milan at 40C.

Italy's health minister Orazio Schillaci has urged people to swerve tourist hotspots for their own safety as the deadly heat continues.

Heatwaves are becoming more common in all parts of the world, with baking temperatures last summer leading to 61,000 deaths.

"Temperatures in North America, Asia, and across North Africa and the Mediterranean will be above 40°C for a prolonged number of days this week as the heatwave intensifies," the WMO said.

Overnight minimum temperatures were also expected to reach new highs, the WMO said, creating the risk of increased cases of heart attacks and deaths.

"Whilst most of the attention focuses on daytime maximum temperatures, it is the overnight temperatures which have the biggest health risks, especially for vulnerable populations,"; it said.

Scientists have long warned that climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions mainly from burning fossil fuels, will make heatwaves more frequent, severe and deadly.