SCOTLAND could see its hottest day on record on Tuesday with the Met Office predicting the mercury could hit a whopping 36C in the Borders.

According to the Met Office website, the lofty temperature could be hit in Jedburgh which endured a maximum of 29C on Monday.

If this comes to fruition, it will break a 19-year-old Scottish record of 32.9C  set in the Borders village of Greycrook.

An amber warning of extreme heat has been in force across Scotland on Monday and will last until midnight on Tuesday.

By early afternoon on Monday, the temperature in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire had hit 30.2C, beating its previous high of 30.1C in June 2018 - according to the local Met Office station.

Extreme heat caused the overhead lines between Glasgow Queen Street low level and Hyndland to "sag", with Network Rail forced to request a "line blockage" while workers investigated the problem. Lines will now have to be repaired, causing disruption to services.

The heat has also caused technical problems for the Falkirk Wheel, with boat trips called off late on Monday afternoon.

While Scotland has been cooler than many parts of England, several precautions and warnings have been put in place including speed restrictions on railways.

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Scottish Borders Council said it was trialling an earlier waste collection service in Hawick to make conditions more bearable for staff.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park has urged care around water, emphasising the risk of cold water shock.

LNER has cancelled all trains south of York on Tuesday and Avanti West Coast will run a much-reduced service. 

Keith Brown, the Scottish Government's resilience minister, urged people to "monitor forecasts and follow public health advice".

He added: "Our resilience arrangements have been activated and stand ready at all times to coordinate a response to severe weather issues where required.

"When temperatures increase, it's important to monitor forecasts and follow public health advice, including staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids, and avoiding excess alcohol.

"Water safety incidents and drownings increase in hot weather and people should be aware of the dangers and use supervised beaches and pools when possible."