LONDON: Britain has officially had its hottest day on record.

Weather agency the Met Office says the temperature reached 38.7 C (101.7 F) at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in eastern England during last week's heat wave.

The temperature was recorded Thursday and confirmed Monday after "quality control and analysis" by the Met Office.

The previous U.K. record was 38.5 C (101.3 F), set in August 2003.

Temperature records fell across Europe last week as a suffocating heat wave swept up from the Sahara.

Met Office climate scientist Mark McCarthy said climate change was making extreme temperatures more common.

He said, "climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe, which will have also increased the risks of a 40 Celsius temperature event in the U.K."