Southern Europe swelters in heatwave temperatures of above 40C

“It’s driving us crazy,” says Giorgos Markakais, a taxi driver on the Greek island of Crete as the daily temperature reaches its peak. “In Athens they’re dropping like flies. Here on our island it’s cooler because of the sea breeze, but everyone is looking for shade. Even the dogs.” A heatwave has brought temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s to popular holiday destinations in the Mediterranean including Spain, France, Greece and Italy.  After the current heatwave of Cerberus passes, another, Cheron, is expected to follow over the weekend and into next week, bringing even higher temperatures. Weather alerts have been issued in the Canary Islands, plus in ten cities across Italy including Rome, Florence, Bologna and Perugia. In Croatia, emergency services have been battling fierce forest fires around the areas of Šibenik and Primošten. Read more: #europe #heatwave #italy #greece #spain Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: Get the latest headlines: and are websites of The Telegraph, the UK’s best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.