BRITISH holidaymakers are being warned about a KILLER heatwave sweeping through the Mediterranean, with temperatures soaring to an astonishing 63C.
The heat has been so extreme that car steering wheels in Cyprus are melting - forcing locals to use oven gloves in order to drive - and residents are being forced to put their mobile phones in the fridge to keep them working.
The weather warning comes as the death of Cilla Black was linked to scorching temperatures on the Costa del Sol.
Tourists are being reminded to drink plenty of water and never to leave children or pets unattended in a car.
Saturday is predicted to be the warmest day of the year in many European holiday destinations - prompting health warnings for British tourists unused to the searing heat.
The former singer and Blind Date host sufferd a stroke in her Spanish villa but the post-mortem found heat was a contributing factor.
This week, one car thermometer in Cyprus recorded temperatures of 63C, while street thermometers reached 57C, and the official forecast said the mercury would rise to 37C in the coming days.
The holiday island's Department of Meteorology issued an orange warning, which means dangerous weather.
Officials in the Turkish north of Cyprus have also banned public employees from working between midday and 4pm in a bid to save lives.
And public health workers are urging the elderly, children, and individuals who suffer from asthma, diabetes and heart illnesses to avoid going outside between 10am and 4pm.
Record temperatures in Italy left 140 pensioners dead in just the first ten days of July this year, and experts are drawing parallels with the 2003 heatwave that killed around 20,000 people.
A spokesperson for the ABTA Travel Association told the Daily Mirror: "These are the temperatures you usually associate with places like Iraq.
"We would advise people to avoid the beaches at midday when the sun is at it hottest. Watch what the locals do and spend lunchtime in the shade."
Forecasters say the sweltering heat will affect holiday hotspots from Spain to Poland.
They blame a slow-moving storm over the UK and high pressure over eastern Europe, which has combined to push winds from northern Africa across the continent.
"Cities such as Milan, Florence, Budapest and Prague will all experience several days of extreme heat," said Eric Leister, Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com.
"A reinforcing shot of heat will surge northeastward from Spain through much of Europe again next week leading to additional days of extreme heat for areas from France to Poland and Italy into the
Balkans."
The warning comes as hundreds of passengers were stranded in Cyprus after a Thomas Cook plane bound for London had to return an hour into the flight after the air conditioning failed.
Flight TCX1017 took off from Larnaca Airport at 11.30pm local time but was forced to turn back and landed in Cyprus at 2am local time.
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook Airlines said customers felt the cabin become much warmer "as a result [of] the body heat of that many people in an enclosed space."
Last week, parts of the Middle East suffered unbearable heat with close to record-breaking temperatures.
In Iraq and Iran, highs of more than 50C were experienced while some thermometers recorded temperatures of 72C.
A 'heat dome' over the region meant it was only a few degrees cooler than the highest ever recorded heat index, which was 81C in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on July 8, 2003.
While temperatures in the UK will not match those in southern Europe, much of the country can look forward to warm weather and sunshine this weekend.
Highs of 27C are being forecast for the south east of England although rain will move in on Sunday.
The Foreign Office has not issued any travel warnings in relation to the latest extreme weather but urged travellers to monitor the Government's travel advice pages.
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