Heatwave and ozone pollution warning

A HEATWAVE alert has been issued for Lyon and the surrounding region for this weekend, with temperatures of up to 39°C forecast.

The rest of France will also be hot and sunny this weekend, with temperatures in the thirties in most places, rising to 39°C in the Midi-Pyrénées - but storms are forecast in the north of the country on Sunday.

Two departments are affected by the Météo France heatwave alert - the Rhône and the neighbouring Loire - and the warning is in place until Monday evening.

Sunday will be the hottest day - but the average throughout the weekend is expected to be in the mid-thirties during the day.

Overnight temperatures are not forecast to fall below about 22°C.

The advice from Météo France is to spend at least two or three hours of the day indoors, in a cool place, drink plenty of water and look after people who are more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, four departments in the south-east of France have imposed vehicle speed restrictions and limits on factory emissions because of ozone pollution.

Motorway drivers in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes de Haute-Provence, Var and Vaucluse are required to cut their speed from 130kph to 100kph between 6.00 and 21.00.

People with breathing or heart problems are advised not to exercise in the middle of the day.

Paca is the worst region in France for ozone pollution, which forms when strong sunlight reacts with car and industrial emissions. It gets worse in the early afternoon after the sun has reacted with morning rush-hour fumes.