The UK has recorded its hottest ever May temperature with provisional temperatures reaching 35°C in London and 33°C in Oxford on Tuesday, May 26.

This comes as temperatures in Oxfordshire hit record heights on Monday, May 25, with 33.6°C measured in Benson, near Wallingford.

READ MORE: Fire crews race to Morrisons supermarket in Oxfordshire village

Meanwhile a yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for the Tuesday evening with the possibility of isolated storms hitting large swathes of the country including Oxford.

The Met Office said many areas will stay hot and sunny but there is potential for as much as 30mm of rainfall in the space of an hour in some parts.

The warning is in place between 3pm and 10pm today (Tuesday, May 26).

People enjoying the hot weather (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

The heat has caused some disruption in Oxfordshire with reports of freezers and fridges within supermarkets breaking down.

Multiple customers said they left the Aldi in Broadway, Didcot, without any chilled food due to broken cooling systems in the shop.

Several other supermarkets in the county are showing empty shelves, as products are returned to the warehouse to prevent spoiling them while fridges and freezers are out of action.

People enjoying the hot weather (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

One such store is the Waitrose in Bell Street, Henley, where cooled shelves have been cleared and a notice put up in the place of products like dairy and meat.

The notice said: “Due to the extreme temperatures and a breakdown of our main refrigeration units we have, unfortunately, had to send our chilled and frozen products back to our warehouse to prevent the stock being destroyed.”

Meanwhile, a section of the Oxfordshire police called on the public to ensure dogs are not left in hot cars after one was found left in a vehicle with the temperature “dangerously high”.

People enjoying the hot weather (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

The South Oxon and Vale of White Horse team said: “We are urging the public to never leave dogs in hot cars—even for a short time.

“Recently, PC Hackett attended a report of a dog left in a vehicle.

“Despite the windows being slightly open and a bowl of water inside, the temperature was still dangerously high.

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“The dog had to be removed and kept safe in an air-conditioned police vehicle until the owner returned, where advice was given.”

The Met Office said that the minimum temperature tonight is likely to be 15°C with Wednesday set to be “mainly dry and sunny again”.

A spokesperson said: “Fresher conditions expected near eastern coasts with stronger onshore breezes. Maximum temperature 29 °C.”

Longer term it is expected to stay warm for the remainder of the week albeit with a slight temperature dip.

Motorists were stuck in a traffic jam of more than seven miles at one point on the A34 after three cars collided.

Police were called to assist with the incident at East Ilsley, northbound on the A34 into the Oxfordshire border from Berkshire.

Thames Valley Police said one person suffered minor injuries but declined to give more information.

READ MORE: Train evacuated in Oxfordshire due to heatwave as ‘temperatures reach 45C’

“As this is now resolved we wouldn’t look to provide further details,” a spokeswoman said.

Both lanes northbound into the county were blocked at around 8am on Tuesday, May 23, causing significant tailbacks all the way to Chieveley close to the M4.

Highways England reported drivers were stuck for more than 90 minutes during the rush hour commute, before things started to ease at around 10am.

In his first full day in the job, newly elected county council leader Tim Bearder was set to decide whether to give the plans approval on May 21, but delegated the decision to his deputy, Neil Fawcett.

The shared-use pavement and cycleway, bus stops, toucan and puffin crossing, will provide access to new developments on the road in Kidlington.

Raising objections in a consultation on the proposals, the Bicester Bike Users’ Group said: “Shared provision does not work for either pedestrians or cyclists.

“It is concerning that the plan also shows a proposed pedestrian only crossing to the north connecting to a shared (cycle and pedestrian) path.”

It questioned the policy compliance of plans, saying it had “poor design”.

Cycling advocacy group, Cyclox supported the scheme, saying it welcomed “the inclusion of a signal-controlled toucan crossing and the provision of a wider footway/cycleway, which will improve crossing opportunities”.

However, it said there is “opportunity to further strengthen the scheme so that it better reflects current best practice” noting how the current design of the bike path could “lead to conflict and reduced comfort for both pedestrians and cyclists”.

Oxfordshire Liveable Streets also had a mixed response, stating “we have a number of concerns”.

Responding to objections, Mr Fawcett explained he understood that “this is as good as we [the county council] can do and it is within the standard rules” for bike lanes in part due to funding agreements.

Neil Fawcett

He noted he could see how the scheme “could be better” but said physical and development agreements constraints impacted decisions and that he was “satisfied” with the plan.

The new additions will be paid for by developers building next to the road as part of a Section 106 agreement.

Residents had mixed responses.

One believes the toucan crossing could save lives.

Bicester Road, Kidlington (Image: Google Maps)

The anoymous resident stated: “Drivers regularly disregard the zebra crossings – even when people are crossing on them.

“It’s so dangerous. As a driver I use this road almost daily and have witnessed many near misses involving adults and children.

“A toucan crossing would help improve safety so much before some innocent person – likely a child, loses their life in a totally preventable tragedy and parents lose their child.”

An Oxford United fan said they thought the plans would be “beneficial to stadium users”.

Another resident noted: “This is good news for cyclists as it’s extremely unsafe to cycle on the parallel Oxford Road due to the vast number of potholes.”

One member of public objected, saying another shared-use path on the northern side of the road is “in very poor shape” leading to danger for cyclists in the busy road.