In pictures: Europe swelters in blistering June heat

Parts of western Europe are experiencing more extreme heat this weekend under a wave of hot air that has moved north from Africa.

Temperatures in both Spain and France have broken records, putting pressure on hospitals and energy grids.

French officials forecast some areas will reach 42C (107.6F) on Saturday.

Scientists warn that climate change is making periods of intense heat strike more frequently and earlier in the year, and be more severe.

France is experiencing the country's earliest recorded heatwave since records began in 1947, its meteorological agency said.

Farmers in Italy warned of the impact of drought on their harvests, with water levels in the River Po down by nearly three-quarters compared with seasonal averages. In Spain, firefighters tackled forest blazes in Catalonia.

Water cooling sites were set up in Paris's Place de la Republique, where temperatures were forecast to peak at 37C (98.6F) on Saturday

A woman uses a fan to cool down in Paris's Luxembourg Gardens

Early morning temperatures were cool enough for this mother to take her child for a stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries in the French capital

It was hot work for a tomato farmer in Ortaffa, southern France

In Cologne, Germany temperatures were forecast to peak at 35C (98F) on Saturday

Water from a fountain in central Rome offered one tourist a cooling splash

Shrubs grow along the dried-out bed of the River Cervol in Vinaros, Spain

German officials issued a heat warning after forecasting that temperatures will reach 34C (93.2F) this weekend in the capital