BOILING BRITAIN; Heatwave will be the norm in 30yrs.

Byline: MIKE SWAIN 

THE UK and Ireland will bake in 104F summer heat by the 2080s, scientists warned yesterday.

And a rise of 2C, or nearly 4F, is inevitable within just 30 years. So the blistering heatwave of 2003, which killed 2,000 people, will be the norm.

The major official study concluded it will get steadily tropical, with average summers 4C, or 7.2F, hotter than today by the 2080s due to global warming.

London and the South-East of England will regularly top 40C (104F).

Leading government advisor Professor Bob Watson said: "By the 2060s, 2003 will be a cool year."

And to add to the misery, summer rainfall is expected to drop 22% in the South-East.

Meanwhile average winter rain will rise 16% in the North West, leading to bigger downpours and more flooding.

The sea level is set to surge by 36cm, causing problems in lowlying areas.

The changes will hit farming and wildlife with schools, tube systems and roads all affected.

More than 100 organisations have been told by the Government to bring forward plans to adapt to the new weather.

But if the rise in greenhouse gas can be halted by 2016 and then drop 4% a year, temperature increases could be kept to 2C by 2100, the scientists say.

WEATHER FORECAST ... FOR 2080