UK Pigs To Be Lathered With Suncream As Temperatures Hit Dangerously High Records

Royal Welsh pigs are getting lathered up in factor 50 in order to protect them from the sun as temperatures in the UK soar.

It's not just humans getting on the sunscreen this week as the country deals with a serious heatwave.

In Wales, provisional figures are showing that it could be the hottest day on record in the region, with a reading of 35.3 degrees celsius being taken at Gogerddan in Cardiganshire.

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The Royal Welsh Show, meanwhile, takes place from today until July 21. An agriculture affair - and the biggest of its kind in the UK - many of the animals being presented there will need to have extra care taken of them in order for them to cope with the ridiculous temperatures.

That includes The Royal Welsh Pigs, with BBC News reporting that the pigs will be getting given the sun screen treatment in order to protect their skin.

In previous years when temperatures have also soared at the Royal Welsh Show, display pigs have also been cooled down with wet blankets.

Mared Jones, head of operations at the show, told BBC News: “It’s great to have the sun back and have the sunshine, but please wear appropriate clothing.

“Dŵr Cymru will have water dispensers here, so bring your flasks and you can top up as much as you want.

“Wear a hat, sun cream and there’s plenty of places, shadows here to sit down under the marquees and stuff, so just be careful,” she continued.

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Earlier today, the Met Office tweeted: "It's provisionally the hottest day on record in Wales.

"Gogerddan has reached 35.3°C so far today, exceeding the previous record high of 35.2°C, recorded at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2nd August 1990."

In England, meanwhile, large parts of England have hit the high 30s, with the possibility of 40C in some places.

Last week, Penny Endersby, Met Office chief executive, said: "The extreme heat that we're forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented.

"Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow and follow the advice.

"Stay out of the sun, keep your home cool, think about adjusting your plans for the warning period."

The UK record temperature is 38.7 degrees celsius, recorded in Cambridgeshire on 25 July 2019.

With high temperatures expected to carry through until at least Wednesday, though, there's a strong chance that's going to get smashed in a grim sign of the world's ongoing climate crisis.

While we can't control what the weather does in the next couple of days, this story should at least help you to remember to look after your pets and animals during it, as well as yourselves.