DURING the past few years, Oxfordshire residents have been more used to coping with heavy rain, floods or snowstorms than heatwaves.

But last night, they were urged to slap on the sun cream to cope with the first heatwave of the summer.

Following warnings from the Met Office that temperatures in some parts of the UK could reach 33C – or 91F – this week, zookeepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park, near Burford, were taking precautions to look after animals used to cooler climes.

Met Office forecasters said top temperatures in Oxfordshire would not be quite as high as those predicted in other parts South East England.

But they have issued a health warning for the county and urged people to take precautions to cope with the heat, including staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, wearing a hat when outdoors and drinking plenty of water.

Helen Chivers, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: “At RAF Brize Norton temperatures of 28C – 82F – were recorded on Monday, which is pretty hot.

“The real hotspots are in West London and other parts of the South East, where temperatures could reach 33C – or 91F – later this week.

“But people in Oxfordshire still need to take sensible precautions. Wearing sun cream in these kinds of temperatures should be automatic.

“You also need to drink lots of cold drinks, but not alcohol, because that will dehydrate you. Wear cool clothing and keep your windows shut during the day and open them during the evening to let the cool air in.

“Towards the middle and end of the week there’s the chance of one or two showers, with temperatures falling slightly towards the weekend.”

Jamie Craig, one of the keepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: “We make sure the penguins are frequently hosed down during the hot weather and we will also keep the water temperatures cool.

“Some animals, like the wolves, don’t like being hosed down, so we try to make sure there are lots of shady places for them in their enclosure.

“We also put fruit in chunks of ice to make ice pops for the monkeys.”

If temperatures continue to rise, the Met Office will issue a Level Four warning, which is given when a heatwave is considered prolonged enough to affect health and social care, or create power and water shortages.

The Level Two warning, which was issued yesterday, follows the heatwave of August 2003, when more than 2,000 people died and the UK temperature record was broken at Brogdale, in Kent, with a high of 38.5C (101.3F).

Caroline Hickling, manager of the Highlands Day Centre, in Chipping Norton, which caters for pensioners four days a week, said: “The elderly can be particularly vulnerable to the heat if they stay out in the sun for too long.

“We tell pensioners not to be tempted to stay out for too long and to keep cool and drink plenty of water.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk