THIS year is on course to be the warmest and among the wettest recorded in ­Britain, sparking warnings that more people will die as a consequence of heatwaves and flash floods caused by climate change in coming years.

New Met Office figures for January to October was the warmest since records began in 1910 while it has also been the second wettest. Unless November and December are extremely cold, 2014 will be on record as the hottest.

Analysis of Scotland reveals above average summer temperatures in most parts of the country and the north east in particular seeing large rises in the amount of rainfall compared to average.

Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics and Political Science, warned that the elderly and those with health problems are particularly at risk and could end up dying in the heat in increasing numbers if, as expected, the trend continues.

He warned that as Britain warms up it will also grow wetter - raising the spectre of flash floods which could cost lives and cause billions of pounds of damage.

He said: "A large part of the population is unaware this risk is increasing, and is a problem because people are not then able to take the necessary precautions."

Mr Ward accused the UK Government of failing to get to grips with climate change and said the coalition urgently needed to plough more money into beefing up Britain's flood defences."