As the UK passed the 40C mark for the first time ever, here are five numbers that sum up the heatwave in Suffolk.

62C

The hottest railway track reached 62C on Monday, Network Rail said.

It tweeted: “Our hottest rail recorded yesterday was 62C, in Suffolk! Rail temperature can be about 20C higher than air temperature, causing it to expand, bend and break.”

Rail users were warned of delays, cancellations and changes to train services amid the extreme heat.

38.4C

According to East Anglia-based forecaster Weatherquest the hottest temperature ever recorded in the county was 38.4C – provisionally recorded in Santon Downham at 2pm on Tuesday, July 19.

22 hours

At 4pm on Monday, July 18, a temperature of 38.1C was recorded in Santon Downham, breaking the record for the county's hottest day.

On Tuesday, at 2pm Santon Downham provisionally recorded 38.4C, squeaking past the county's record temperature again – just 22 hours later.

The previous record – 37.3C in Cavendish – had stood since August 10, 2003.

63

By 5pm on Tuesday Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service had responded to 63 fires – many of which were field fires or fires in the open.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said crews were responding to "a lot more than we'd see on a normal day".

15.5C

The temperature recorded in Santon Downham on Tuesday, July 19, was 15.5C hotter than the weather station's average temperature July temperature of 22.9C, according to the Met Office.