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Warmest day of the year not good news for everyone – particularly rail passengers and dogs Two police dogs have died in a locked car and express train services have been slowed by overheating wires, as temperatures in the UK came close to matching the Caribbean for three days. Highs reaching this year’s record of 31C (88F) in London claimed the lives of a German Shepherd pup and a working Belgian Malinois which collapsed at the Metropolitan police dog training unit. Police and animal welfare groups are investigating and a national warning was issued to pet owners after two other dogs were rescued by officers who broke into cars parked in Bath. A spokeswoman from the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, said: “We would like to remind dog owners and police dog handlers that leaving your dog in a car can prove rapidly fatal, particularly during a heatwave. It can take just 20 minutes for a dog to die and the heat can reach over 40 degrees in some vehicles.” Temperatures rose particularly rapidly in the wake of a ‘Spanish plume’ of warm air driven north from Morocco and Spain and curling round most of the UK, holding colder weather from the north at bay. The pattern is breaking up as airstreams alter and the mini-heatwave has started to end with thunderstorms in southern England, where temperatures have been highest, while gentler rain moves south across the border from Scotland. The Meteorological Office warned that downpours in parts of southern and eastern England and the Midlands could be heavy enough to cause flash floods. A spokeswoman said that rivers were not expected to break their banks but predicted highly localised rainfall of between 25mm and 50mm (1-2in) could overwhelm drains and cause surface water flooding. A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “Our staff are on 24-hour alert and teams are monitoring river levels as the band of rain moves across the country. The public are encouraged to tune in to local media for weather forecasts for their area and to keep an eye out for signs of surface water flooding.” A hot weather warning from the Meteorological Office remains in force for southern England, the Home Counties and the Midlands, after temperatures rose to within 1C of the day’s 32C recorded in Kingston, Jamaica. The spell just failed to beat last year’s record of 31.7C set at Gravesend in the first week of July. Absenteeism was widespread after weekend forecasts that Monday would be the hottest day of the year so far, and the working day was also disrupted by the wrong kind of heat on electric rail services. Trains between East Anglia and London were slowed from their usual 90mph maximum to 60 because of concern that power might short or be lost through other glitches with sun-drenched overhead