Some Suffolk schools have said they will be authorising absences for children who do not attend school during the sweltering temperatures this week.

The first-ever red weather warning for extreme heat has been issued for part of west Suffolk with the majority of the county on amber alert.

Yesterday as the amber warning for heat began, many people spent the day enjoying the sun in Christchurch Park in Ipswich.

Zoe Johnson, meteorologist with East Anglian-based forecasters Weatherquest, said: "Monday and Tuesday are looking like they will be the peak of the heat. There's some very hot air coming to us.

"On Monday it will be widely in the mid-30s, potentially 37C or 38C in the western part of the region.

"However on Tuesday, although it looks like it will be the hottest of the days, will likely be cloudy. But we could see temperatures of up to 40C.

"There's about a 60% chance we will break the UK's record on that day."

Some schools across the county are allowing children to stay at home during the hot weather this week.

In a post on social media headteacher at St Gregory Primary School in Sudbury, Daniel Woodrow said: "School will remain open. However, if you wish to keep your child at home to keep them safe in high temperatures then we understand completely and I will authorise any absences for this reason.

"If you would like your child to attend school in the morning but go home for the hottest part of the day I will also authorise absences for the afternoon.

"Your child will need to ask for a home dinner in the dinner register and you will be able to collect them from the main playground at 12pm.

"All children and staff who do come to school will be allowed to wear non-uniform to help keep them cool.

"We will be in school earlier than usual each morning to open all of the windows and doors to try and cool the building down and we will also rota any rooms with air conditioning so that each class has a turn in them during the day."

A letter sent to parents of children at Ickworth Park Primary School seen by the newspaper said: "We understand that you may feel anxious about the high temperatures and we will do all we can to keep the children safe and comfortable.

"However, we are also giving parents the option to keep children at home on Monday and Tuesday, which will be authorised by the school."

People who travel by train are being advised to avoid travelling by rail on Monday and Tuesday and Greater Anglia will be running fewer trains to London throughout the day and services will be much slower than usual.