Parts of Spain braced for temperatures of up to 40C

Spain is bracing for a sweltering end to May, with southern parts of the country forecast to hit 40C as high pressure and a mass of hot, dry air brings temperatures more than 10C above the seasonal norm.

- Sam Jones

The heatwave comes almost three years after some areas of Spain experienced their hottest May since records began and the temperature at Seville airport reached 41C.

"The last week of May will see a high-temperature episode across a good part of the peninsula, with the kind of temperatures normally seen in high summer, especially from Wednesday," said Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for Spain's meteorological office, Aemet.