Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records started over a century ago, Spain's national weather service said on Tuesday as Europe remained in the grip of the first major heat wave this summer.

Europe’s heat wave is set to peak over the coming days, with a blast of Saharan air triggering red alerts from France to the Swiss Alps.

France and the rest of Europe are still in the grips of the first major heat wave this summer even as conditions began to improve in some parts of the region