Following the Met Office's 'rare' Level 3 Amber heat health warning for this week, the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership has issued guidance on how to cope with the heatwave.

In Maldon, temperatures are set to hover around 25°C from Wednesday until Sunday, before rising to a sweltering 30°C on Monday.

The Met Office warned 'exceptionally high' temperatures could cause likely adverse health effects for the public, "not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat".

The Amber warning has been issued for Sunday (17 July) and Monday (18 July), covering much of England and parts of Wales.

Rebekah Sherwin, the Met Office's Deputy Chief Meteorologist, said: "Today (12 July), temperatures are likely to peak at 31°C in the southeast, with warm weather likely to continue throughout this week and it looks likely to ramp up late this week and into early next week." 

Here are the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System's five 'easy' ways to stay safe during the heatwave:

1. Look out for others, especially older people, young children and babies and those with underlying health conditions.
2. Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors.
3. Drink plenty of water as sugary, alcoholic and caffeinated drinks can make you dehydrated.
4. Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals.
5. Finally, sunscreen is important but using the right one can be confusing. The NHS's general advice is a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 to protect against UVB and at least four-star UVA protection. However, the best protection from the sun is to stay in the shade at the hottest parts of the day, from 11am to 3pm.

The Met Office says these high temperatures could extend further into next week and an extension of the warning will be considered in the coming days. 

Meanwhile, the RSPCA has issued guidance on how to keep pets safe in hot weather.