An amber weather warning has been put in place for parts of the Swansea Valley and Neath Port Talbot with the Met Office predicting that temperatures will continue to soar throughout the week.

The warning has been put in place for next Sunday, July 17 however the mercury is set to rise every day this week.

The Met Office is predicting that temperatures could rise to around 32C within the warning area zone, which means that the Swansea Valley and Neath Port Talbot could be hotter than the Maldives.

And the soaring temperatures could well extend into the early part of next week. An extension of the warning will be considered in the coming days.

Meanwhile coastal areas, lakes and rivers are being seen as posing an increased risk to water safety accidents.

Meteorologists say the hot weather is being sparked by hot air from Europe.

It's feared the week-long heat could hit rail infrastructure, pose a danger to the most vulnerable in society and cause 'hundreds' of deaths.

The Met Office’s Steven Keates said: “The potential is there to see exceptional heat, potentially record-breaking.

“Some modelling output is offering quite alarming temperatures.

"There is some exceptionally hot air which has developed across Spain and France and this could come our way.

“It could be something that we’ve never seen before. There’s a good chance of the record being broken.

“This sort of heat is not going to be particularly welcomed by anybody, except maybe by statisticians.

“It will be dangerous heat, our buildings and infrastructure are designed to cope with that. It will be the vulnerable in society who suffer, the young and the old.

“There will be potential dangers and stress on NHS bodies and there will be restrictions on railways and things like that. People should consider if they travel.

“There’ll also be high pollen and high UV levels.”