Business as usual at RAF Brize Norton after heatwave flight disruption

Flight operations have resumed at the UK's largest RAF base after extreme temperatures subsided. 

RAF Brize Norton halted all incoming and outgoing flights on Monday and Tuesday due to a heatwave that saw temperatures reach 40°C in the UK.

Aircraft due to land at the Oxfordshire base were forced to divert to other airfields.

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An RAF spokesperson said on Monday: "During this period of extreme temperature, flight safety remains our top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan. This means there is no impact on RAF operations."

Sky News reported that flights had been suspended on Monday because the runway "melted" in the soaring heat.

For the first time, temperatures of 40°C were forecast in the UK and the Met Office issued the first-ever red warning for exceptional heat.

A new provisional UK record temperature was recorded as 40.3C at Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, the Met Office said on Tuesday.