The BBC has been slammed by climate activists over the tone of a tweet posted about breaking the UK heat record.
The broadcaster took to its BBC Weather account on Thursday morning when temperatures were forecast to potentially hit 39C.
That would have surpassed the then record of 38.5C, set in Faversham in 2003.
A post from the account said: “Morning, if we're going to do it TODAY'S THE DAY! We will of course keep you posted.”
The tweet was followed by a swift backlash, with people concerned over the heat being a sign of global warming. The BBC has acknowledged the need to "strike the right tone".
The Green Party shared the post and wrote: “Hey BBC, some records we really don’t want to break.”
They used the hashtag “climate emergency” alongside their post.
The World Wildlife Federation said in a post: “This is a climate emergency – not something that should be celebrated.”
Others branded the tweet “irresponsible”, “disgusting” and said the heat was “terrifying”.
On Friday, the Met Office said it appeared a record temperature of 38.7C had actually been recorded on Thursday in Cambridge.
The recording needs to be verified before it is confirmed the record has been broken.
Met Office experts say there is "no doubt" climate change is playing a role in driving the unprecedented temperature highs.
A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC acknowledges the weight of scientific consensus around climate change and this should always underpin our reporting of the subject. Meteorologists clearly have a professional interest in extreme weather patterns but we are aware of the need to strike the right tone on social media.
"Coverage across the day touched on all aspects of the very hot weather, including potential dangers, health issues and transport problems, and our interviews and reports put the potentially record-breaking temperature in the context of climate change issues."
