it's official, it's the hottest day of the year, with temperatures in the capital hitting 35 degrees celsius. trying to keep cool, as britain basks in high mediterranean temperatures. for many, it's been travel misery, with delays of at least four hours in the channel tunnel because of the ‘unprecedented heat‘. warnings to the elderly and vulnerable continue — the nhs says there's extra pressure on services. the wreck, crown the uk's all—time temperature record could be broken tomorrow, but forecasters also warn of thunderstorms and possible flooding. also tonight... medicines derived from cannabis will become available on prescription, says the home secretary. an apology from the head of the scottish football association for the "abhorrent" abuse of young people in its care in the past. and the story of the eight—year—old boy given hiv infected blood, and the impact on his adult life. and coming up on bbc news:

controversy, as adil rashid is called up for england's first test against india next week, despite saying he wants to focus on short—form cricket. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. it is offically the hottest day of the year so far. the heat has been causing health problems for the elderly and hospital staff have been treated for symptoms of heat exhaustion after heat on hot wards. today, the mercury hit a scorching 35 degrees celsius at heathrow airport. temperatures are set to rise even further this week and could even break the all—time record of 38.5

degrees celsius, set in kent in 2003. mps have warned that heatwaves could become more common in the future, and that our infrastructure is ill prepared to deal with it. ourfirst report is byjon kay, who's in milton keynes for us this evening. john. yes, rita, this is the main hospital in milton keynes. they would expect to be at their busiest in the middle of the winter with a lot of bugs around and people slipping and sliding on the ice and snow, but they are just as busy right now. stretched to the limit and full to capacity at this time, because of the heat wave. wally is suffering. at 86, the heat has made his lung condition worse. he was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home. i fell, fell backwards into a radiator, took a chunk out of my back. he's now making sure he drinks plenty of water during the heatwave. it is the second time it has

happened. and so is don, on the other side of the ward. he came in dehydrated, with a kidney problem. i go to the army, and the next thing i knew, i'm on the deck. what, you just passed out? yeah. that's scary. it is. emergency air—con units were brought into the hospital this afternoon, as temperatures climbed above 30 celsius. here in milton keynes, the heat has led to an increase in admissions, including sunburn and sunstroke. we've got more patients needing more treatment and, in fact, at this time of the year, we've got nearly all of our beds, our winter pressure beds, already open. and that's a real concern for us. so you're operating at winter levels? absolutely. at the end ofjuly. absolutely, yes. next to the ambulance is today, an ice cream van. how is this for hospital food? but elsewhere ice cream van. how is this for hospitalfood? but elsewhere in ice cream van. how is this for hospital food? but elsewhere in the uk, medical staff have not been so lucky. nursing staff reporting hospital environments and hospital wards reaching over 30 celsius at

the moment and that is having an impact on their health and well—being. nurses impact on their health and well— being. nurses reporting impact on their health and well—being. nurses reporting feeling sick, dizzy, we even had an example ofa sick, dizzy, we even had an example of a nurse who had to be hospitalised after doing long shifts ina hospitalised after doing long shifts in a really hot accident and emergency environment. so busy, serious concern they themselves, nurses then the patients.“ eurotunnel passengers thought they we re eurotunnel passengers thought they were escaping the heat by crossing the channel, they were in dvorak. a condition problems meant carriages some could not be used. leaving travel is hot, bothered and delayed for five hours. via travel is hot, bothered and delayed forfive hours. via hydrants were open to cool people down. not quite the beach or swimming pool they were dreaming of. as the music festival opens in wiltshire, the met office says much of england could now see dramatic thunderstorms and hail showers. there are warnings of sudden rainfall and flashed building. —— flash flooding. before

the deluge, they are bringing in extra water here to keep the crowds how'd treated. we have massively increase the amount of water on site, we have worked with wessex water to bring in pillow tanks, about four or five around the site, lots more tabs, filtered water, it is all here. you will not go thirsty. just when you thought it couldn't get any hotter, tomorrow, the mercury is set to rise even higher and it could beat the all—time record. so, if we are going to experience more extremes of temperature, how can we adapt our homes and enure we have an adequate supply of fresh water? here's our science editor, david shukman. punishing temperatures on city streets. a thermal camera filmed these scenes. yellow means hot, with the pavements giving off heat. but look at the cooling effect of a water fountain. and how the shade of a tree can make a huge difference

of nearly 10 degrees. this new assisted living centre in east london is designed to protect elderly people from the heat. i went to see one of the flats inside, they're designed to be cool. hi, morning! jill and maurice matthews explained that they have windows on both sides of the building, so a breeze can flow through. i do feel the heat. and therefore for me, this is brilliant because where i was before, i was just lying there, dripping, you know? with temperatures set to rise in future, experts want all buildings designed to offer more shade, like this one, to cope with summer heat. and they're calling for new rules to back that up. it is serious, there is increasing evidence that it's a problem. and obviously, with climate change, it's only going to become more and more likely to happen more often. the heat brings a range of different challenges. here, a playground where no—one is playing. this is newmarket, in suffolk.

it's the middle of the afternoon and you'd expect a place like this to be packed now that it's the school holidays, but it's just too hot. there's only one family here, just sitting in the shade, and that's why so many people are warning that the country needs to get ready for a future in which it's very likely there will be a lot more heat waves. the view from our drone — brown when you think it would be green. this is the driest part of the country and people here take water seriously. in this back garden, a rainwater storage tank is being fitted. when it's full, it will keep the toilets going. the jones family watch the work. they're part of a pilot scheme to use water more efficiently and raise awareness. the local provider, anglian water, has constructed huge stores. getting so little rain in this region means they are already doing what mps are calling for, by recognising the future pressure of climate change. we are becoming more and more aware of water being a precious resource

and i think all water companies have to do their planning for the future. a reservoir in north west england. mps are warning that scenes like this and heat waves could become more common. and without serious planning, lives could be at risk. specialist doctors in the uk will be able to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis from the autumn, following a review by the home office. ministers decided to relax the rules after a series of high profile cases of children with severe epilepsy being denied access to cannabis oil. 0thers forms of cannabis will remain illegal. here's our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. tj is 14 and has a rare form of epilepsy. he used to have up to 100 seizures a day. but since he went on a trial of cannabis oil medicine, he has been seizure free. he is full of life. and he lights up the room. i

haven't seen him go for years and yea rs haven't seen him go for years and years suffering, going for treatment, and this visits hospitals. now he is alive. the epilepsy medicine tj takes was developed by british company at this cannabis research facility in kent, it also has a licensed drug for multiple sclerosis. no doubt, then, that cannabis medicines can work. but a series of sick children like alfie dingley were denied access to cannabis medicines because the drugs produced overseas had not undergone rigorous clinical trials. he ended up rigorous clinical trials. he ended up in hospital, having multiple seizures until his mother was granted a special licence to import the drug. now parent power has persuaded the home office to reschedule cannabis products, to make it easier ball specialists here to prescribe them. this announcement

today gives every person in that situation hope that they can try this medication and that itjust might work. i have always been clear that it doesn't always work for everyone , that it doesn't always work for everyone, but when it does work, it works like a miracle. the government is adamant this will not lead to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use. cannabis remains an illegal class b drug. so the production, possession and dealing of cannabis are still criminal offences. anyone trying to grow this slot at home would risk a jail term. there are more than 100 active compounds in the cannabis plant. this change the rules should make it easierfor this change the rules should make it easier for researchers to investigate their potential benefits, as as harms. the bbc has agreed to pay £850,000 towards sir cliff richard's legal these and organising the search of his home. this afternoon, thejudge

denied the corporation are right to appeal a decision against it. our special correspondent, lucy manning, is outside the royal courts of justice. what does this mean for the corporation? well, the bbc got a sense today of just how big the bill it is facing for losing that case against sir cliff richard last week. the bill so farand it cliff richard last week. the bill so far and it will rise significantly is £1.5 million. £850,000 of that as you said is to pay sir cliff richard for part of his legal these. the bbc also tried and failed today to see if it could get permission to appeal thejudgment. thejudge if it could get permission to appeal the judgment. the judge did if it could get permission to appeal thejudgment. thejudge did not appear massively impressed with the bbc‘s arguments, calling them irrelevant, wrong and meaningless. the bbc now has to decide whether it might go directly to the court of appeal, but it said that while there we re appeal, but it said that while there were issues of significant press freedom that might need to be looked at, it also did not want to prolong the case, so the bbc really has to

decide whether it is going to risk potentially more licence fee payers money or to do with this issue that it thinks is a significant threat to press freedom, that it doesn't allow the bbc and other newspapers to report to police investigations, the judge today said that was a misreading of his judgment, judge today said that was a misreading of hisjudgment, but the bbc have quite a significant decision to make. woosy, thank you. —— lucy. the eu's chief brexit negotiator says he will not accept a key proposal in theresa may's tech as planned. speaking in brussels alongside brexit secretary dominic raab, michel barnier said the eu could not and would not allow the eu could not and would not allow the uk to collect tariffs on their behalf after brexit. greece's defence minister has said illegal construction by residents contributed to the country's worst wildfires in recent years. panos kammenos claimed they built properties illegally, blocking off potential escape routes. over 80 people have died, and many more are missing,

after the fires which started near athens on monday. mark lowen reports. searching for the trace of a life. at the place where 26 bodies were found after the fire, some hugging each other, rescue workers think they spot something else. it is so charred that they call police to make out if its human remains. could this field of devastation yield even mortalities? for the family who lived here, the nightmare endures. the first group running down... this man says 30 people ran through here, escaping into the sea as the flames closed in. they didn't see a group of 26 behind. our house, it was our heaven place.

and we had all our childhood memories, both mine, my mother's and even my grandmother's. inside our property, inside that house, 26 people were dead. actually burnt alive. i couldn't walk, i couldn't breathe. pain is turning to rage. the defence minister tells survivors he doesn't believe they waited for hours to be rescued, and he blames illegal building for the fact houses were destroyed. they have occupied the coast without rules. after this tragedy, i think it's a moment to understand themselves that it's dangerous for them and for their families who don't follow the rules and the laws. this traumatised country takes solace in community, donating supplies to those who lost everything. greeks come together at a time of crisis and this is no exception. people give whatever they can. and with many feeling that the state has come up short, they've turned to each other

for attempting solidarity. the rain they craved came lightly today. but not enough to quench the anger or heal the wounds. our top story this evening. 0n the hottest day of the year so far the 0n the hottest day of the year so farthe nhs 0n the hottest day of the year so far the nhs has one of the extra pressures placed on the service. i'm still to come... i said, pressures placed on the service. i'm still to come... isaid, i am pressures placed on the service. i'm still to come... i said, i am a pilot! remembering mary ellis, the old est pilot! remembering mary ellis, the oldest surviving female second world war pilot who has died at the age of 101. coming up in sportsday on bbc news... geraint thomas edges closer to the tour de france title after a more comfortable day for the riders saw him hang on to a near two—minute lead. all this week we've been hearing from people directly affected

by what's been called the biggest scandal in nhs history. thousands of patients in the 1970s and ‘80s were given blood products from abroad, some of which were contaminated with viruses like hiv and hepatitis c. so far, almost 3,000 people have died. now, a public inquiry has started to find out how that was allowed to happen. tonight matt merry from south london tells us how he was infected with hiv and hepatitis c atjust eight years old. it was a massive gamble, giving us the factor viii, and that's like playing russian roulette with one empty chamber. and that's just absolutely shocking. my name is matthew merry, i'm a severe haemophiliac, that means my blood doesn't clot properly. you can't do stuff that normal kids do, you can't play games, you can't play rugby or football in case of bleeds into yourjoints or limbs.

factor v!!! is a replacement protein that's injected into the veins. i've been receiving factor vii! injections since the late 1970s. there was no warnings given about whether there might be any risks attached to this or anything. when my mum told me, i don't think it really went in. i remember that night crying myself to sleep because i knew hiv leads to aids and leads to death. and at the time it wasn't a death sentence. it was very lonely, getting that news. my mum told me that i couldn't tell anyone because people were being hounded out of school, out of their homes, for being "aids scum". there is now a danger that has become a threat to us all.

imagine if you were me as a 12—year—old, a haemophiliac being told you were hiv. this advert with the tombstone with aids inscribed upon it, and just falling flat down. that was me, i was going to die. i failed my a—levels, i was just really turning up and going out with friends and smoking cannabis and going to raves, and reallyjust trying to squeeze as much enjoyment out of life as possible before i died. when i was thinking about my future, i thought that if i did survive then i knew there would be no chance of having children, and that upset me because i think i always wanted to have kids and i knew it would be difficult to find someone to be able to trust, to have a girlfriend, to get married and just lead a normal life. it's a very sort of poignant

yearfor me next year because my children — or one of them — will be the same age i was when i was infected. and to actually sort of see how young he is, and that was me. i wasn't infected as a middle—aged man, i was infected as an eight—year—old boy and that makes me so angry, thinking back about what was done to me and how we were forgotten and basically told to go away and die. what i want the inquiry to do for me is to provide accountability. i want to know who knew hiv and hepatitis c was coming in to the country, when it was coming

in to the country, and what they did and specifically what they didn't do about it. i'm very positive about my future. i think i have come from a very dark place in my teens and very early 20s, and sort of turned that around. so yes, i've got everything to look forward to now. matt merry there and you can read much more about his story — just head to bbc.co.uk/stories. the head of the scottish football association has apologised unreservedly for abuse suffered by young people under its care in the past. ian maxwell was responding to a report which highlighted major failings in the sfa's child protection policies, describing them as ‘not fit for purpose'. mr maxwell said he accepted the report's recommendations but that he believed scottish football is now a safe environment for children. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith reports. over 100,000 young people play football in clubs in scotland.

concerns about their safety have been raised as many allegations of historical abuse have been reported in recent years. now an independent review has found child protection policies today are still inadequate. what will concern parents most is that today's report says that whilst the welfare and protection of children should lie at the heart of football, this has not been and often still is not the case. parents need to know that if they complain action will be taken. mary—ann campbell has three sons, all keen footballers. i have had experience in the past where i have been worried about certain coaches and raised concerns with those particular clubs and leaders at the time. were you happy with how it was dealt with? er, no. no, to be fair. the scottish football association commissioned the report. they say they will implement the recommendations, but don't accept that they failed scottish children in the past. i have a 17—year—old son who's been

involved in grassroots football at various clubs for the vast majority of his life. i've always been comfortable with his security and safety at those clubs. that's the biggest compliment i can pay to the structures and the processes that are in place at the moment. as a child, peter haynes says he was sexually abused by his football coach. if the sfa and the other clubs in scotland do not act on the recommendations, it will continue to happen to other children. they should be able to feel safe. whether they do at the moment or not, i don't think it is a safe environment. child protection must be paramount in footballers everywhere. scottish football urgently needs a new strategy to ensure the safety of all the children involved. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. the former pakistan cricket captain imran khan has claimed

victory in the country's general election. his political party has won the most seats and he's set to become prime minister. but his opponents claim there was widespread vote rigging and interference from the armed forces. here's our pakistan correspondent secunder kermani. crowds gathered outside imran khan's home on the outskirts of islamabad, hoping for a glimpse of the man set to become pakistan's new prime minister. he can bring real reforms and we think that he's the only one who can take pakistan forward in the right direction. from inside his home, he addressed the nation, declaring victory in the elections and promising to create a fairer, more equal society. translation: we will run pakistan in a way that it has never been before. khan first became a star as an international cricketer. in britain he was known for his good looks and playboy lifestyle. in 1995 he married british

socialitejemima goldsmith. after entering politics 22 years ago, he initially struggled but his anti—corruption message has energised young voters. his political rivals, though, have rejected the results of the vote. khan's critics say pakistan's military wanted to replace the outgoing government with his party. translation: this is clear rigging and we completely reject the results. khan's party, though, dismissed those claims. for his supporters, imran khan represents a break with the old form of politics. one that was dominated by a few influentialfamilies. imran khan has promised to create a new pakistan, but as prime minister he will face real challenges. chief amongst them will be reaching out to those who didn't vote for him, as well as continuing questions about the fairness of this election. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad.

sir alex ferguson has spoken publicly for the first time since having surgery for a brain haemorrhage in may. the former manager of manchester united paid tribute to the hospital staff who cared for him. believe me, without those people who gave me such great care, i would not be sitting here today, so thank you from me and my family. thank you very much. tributes have been paid to one of the oldest surviving female pilots who flew in the second world war, who's died at the age of 101. mary ellis joined the air transport auxiliary in 1941 and delivered spitfires and bombers to the front line. up in the air, on your own, and you can do whatever you like. you know, iflew 400 spitfires and occasionally i would take one up and go play with the clouds, which was so delightful and lovely!

mary ellis delighted in flying. born in 1917, the year before the raf was created, her love of planes began early. there were air fields close to the farm where she got her pilot's licence in 1938 and joined the air transport auxiliary — a civilian organisation which ferried aircraft from factory to front line airfield. soon mary and other women were flying bombers and fighters, to the amazement on one occasion, she recalled, of one ground crew. i said, "i am the pilot!" they didn't believe me, and they actually went in the aeroplane and searched it to find a pilot. they came back and said, "there's nobody there, you must be!" after the war, mary ellis lived on the isle of wight where she managed sandown airport for 20 years. of her time flying, she said, "i would like to do it all over again. there was a war on, but otherwise it was absolutely wonderful."

time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. thank you, what the scorcher. we we re thank you, what the scorcher. we were forecasting temperatures in the mid—30s and we registered 35 celsius today at heathrow, we still have to verify that number later this evening but it looks like there to five was the highest temperature today making it the year. no records broken. the temperature at 11pm tonight will be in the high 20s in the south and widely into the 20s. we also have thunderstorms, some nasty ones across parts of yorkshire with frequent lightning. that's likely to continue tonight, but ever so slowly we will see weather fronts moving in off the atlantic and that will be heralding a change. on

friday this cool area of air is still some way to the west of our neighbourhood but eventually it will make some progress by the time we get to the end of friday. the the winds are still hot, blowing out of the south and for a time we could see hot air across east anglia and the south—east, possibly into the 30s once again but with that showers developing so tomorrow we could see thunder, thunder, lightning and hail in some places as well but it is starting to freshen up a little bit, if you can call it that. on saturday the winds off the atlantic are well and truly establishing across the uk, pushing the heir to the east side temperatures come back down again. we are talking about the mid—20s at most on saturday with showers as well. on sunday it looks like we will see even fresher air coming in and it will turn breezy across western coasts of the uk, so

will all change, a big change and a change we haven't seen for weeks and weeks. thank you. that's all from the bbc news at six so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. at 6:30pm by nicholas 0wen. in a moment it is time for sportsday but let's see what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. patients are being put at risk because of diagnosing patients slowly with adhd. that is according to the royal couege adhd. that is according to the royal college of