The new forest, which will be in either the Midlands or north England, is expected to be between 200 and 600 square miles.

It will focus on supporting healthy communities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

It will be one of three new national forests in England which Labour pledged to establish in its manifesto.

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On Monday, the department announced the Government had committed up to £7.5 million over a five-year period to support the forest and called for delivery partners to submit bids to help deliver the new project.

The funding forms part of the Government’s commitment to invest more than £1 billion this parliament in tree planting and to support the forestry sector.

The first of the new forests was announced in March last year, stretching from the Cotswolds to the Mendips in the west of England.

Planting has already begun here, with the project expected to see more than 20 million trees planted across Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset by 2050, the department said.

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Another new forest has been planned for the Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam) corridor.

Nature minister Mary Creagh said: “In our manifesto we promised three new national forests, and after the Western Forest and the OxCam arc forest we’re looking for England’s newest forest in the Midlands or North.

“Too many communities can’t access the green spaces that benefit mental and physical health.

“This new national forest will help change that, and I encourage every eligible organisation with the vision and expertise to come forward.”

Officials said the forests would boost communities and drive economic growth, while enhancing nature and bringing trees and woodlands closer to where people live.

At 33.6C, Benson near Wallingford was only just beaten by Heathrow at 34.4C, Northolt, in Greater London at 34.2C and Teddington Bushy Park in Middlesex at 34C.

Meanwhile, RAF Brize Norton also broke record May temperatures with a 32.9C reading at one point.

Until Monday, the highest May temperature had been 32.8C which was last reached in 1922 and 1944, the Met Office said.

RAF Benson (pictured) was one of the hottest places in the UK (Image: Jason Hornblow)

Temperature records are usually broken by just tenths of a degree.

It is also 10C to 15C hotter than average for much of the UK, the forecasters’ senior meteorologist Greg Dewhurst reported.

If validated, the latest record means seven of the 12 monthly highs have been set since 2003, the Met Office said.

A previous study by the forecasters found breaking that record “is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.”

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This means that the once one-in-a-hundred year event is now a one-in-33 event, it said.

It comes after last week saw lows of minus 5C in Scotland and daytime temperatures more widely peaked at about 14C to 15C.

“We see these changes happening so much more dramatically,” Mr Dewhurst said on Monday morning, adding that climate change is boosting the heat.

“In the past, heatwaves built and built and built and built over days and days and days – these now just develop so quickly.

“It’s huge sort of swinging temperatures, and obviously records being broken by day and by night, so it just shows sort of how extreme the weather can change, and how quickly it can change, as well.”

As a result of climate change, all meteorological models are predicting “more extreme heat, more extreme weather events” and “hotter, drier summers – wetter, windier winters”, he added.

The UK’s warmest May night was also recorded on Sunday when temperatures did not fall below 19.4C at Kenley Airfield, Surrey.

The month’s previous record low was 18.9C in 1944.

Temperatures will start to gradually decline from the middle of the week but it will still be largely dry with sunny spells.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued its first amber health alert of 2026 on Friday, warning that there is a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services. The alert will remain in place until Wednesday.

Meanwhile the AA warned that the interior of vehicles can reach 60C on a day when the outside temperature is 27C.

The breakdown service suggested bank holiday motorists should rest about every two hours, avoiding travelling over the hottest times of day and ensure water and snacks are packed.

“Drivers should never leave children, vulnerable passengers or pets inside a parked vehicle, even for a short time,” it said.

Hot weather increases the risk of blowing damaged or incorrectly inflated tyres and coolant systems can come under strain, the AA added, as it recommended drivers check both.

The heat is considered to be dangerous for some vulnerable groups including older adults as their bodies struggle to regulate temperature.

Age UK recommended staying inside during the hottest hours of the day, between 11am and 3pm, and having regular cold baths or showers.