Flights briefly suspended at London's Luton Airport after extreme heat melts runway

Flights to and from London's Luton airport were briefly suspended after a portion of the runway melted due to extreme heat.

The airport's official handle tweeted that operations had been suspended to allow urgent repairs after high surface temperatures caused a section of the runway to lift.

Flights resumed after a suspension of over 2 hours.

The United Kingdom is facing extreme heatwave conditions with a red alert issues asking people to stay indoors.

Britain's first-ever extreme heat warning is in effect for large parts of England as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moves north.

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The high heat is disrupting travel, health care and schools.

Britain's red heat alert will last through Tuesday, when temperatures may reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

That would exceed the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain, which is 38.7 C (101.7 F).

With AP inputs