Heatwave across Spain and Italy leaves Brits abroad sweltering: ‘I don’t cope well at all’

As temperatures top 40C, Britons are doing whatever they can to stay cool. Graham Keeley reports from Madrid on the extreme heat across Europe

Tourists stand in the shade on a visit to the Royal Palace in Madrid (Thomas Coex /AFP/Getty)

I came here for the sun after rainy Britain but this is a bit much for me,” says Peter Stevens, 73, a retired project manager from London who is staying near Barcelona.

Spain is sweltering in an intense heatwave affecting much of southern and eastern Europe, including tourist hotspots such as Italy and Greece, with the thermometer reaching beyond 40C (104F). Just like Peter, thousands of holidaymakers escaping this weekend’s wet and windy weather in Britain find themselves roasting under a high-pressure, high-temperature front currently sitting across the continent.

The heatwave, named Cerberus after the three-headed monster that features in Dante’s Inferno, has prompted warnings for both tourists and locals to take care, particularly when temperatures reach their peak in the middle of the day. “I am getting headaches after a few hours on the beach and must go home to the hotel,” Peter says.