Climate activists staged a "die-in" protest in Glasgow after a heatwave brought record-breaking temperatures to the UK. 

Extinction Rebellion demonstrators took to Buchanan Street, one of the city's most bustling areas, after temperatures skyrocketed past 40C in parts of England earlier this week. 

Scotland also reached a new record-high temperature on Tuesday after the mercury reached 35.1C at Floors Castle in the Borders.

It is the highest temperature in just under 20 years with the previous record of 32.9C recorded in Greycrook, in the Scottish Borders on August 9 2003.

Activists lay on the wet floor covered in sheets with placards laid out on the “bodies” with the “causes of death” including heat stress, famine and water scarcity.

The Herald:

Damien McGovern, a 41-year-old NHS physiotherapist, said he took part in the “die-in” to urge for immediate action.

The Herald:

He said: “If your house was on fire, you wouldn’t sit around and have a chat about it for 30 years or choose to throw more fuel on it to burn even faster.

“So why are we allowing this to happen to our planet?”

Wolf Saanen, 39, from Glasgow, said: “We’ve been sounding the alarm about the global climate emergency for years.

“Now it has arrived on our shores, will those with the power to change things finally listen?”

Val King, 62, from Stirling, said: “In spite of clear warnings from the United Nations that there should be no new investment in oil and gas, fossil fuel companies, with the full backing of the UK Government are pressing on to open new fields.

“Only the Government has the power to make them stop.”

Some parts of Scotland have also been issued with weather shortage warnings following the heatwave.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said on Friday that “water scarcity is a very real threat as a result of climate change”.