Hundreds of commuters were stranded on faulty trains for hours as the UK sweltered through its hottest July day ever.

Temperatures reached 38.1C (100.58F) in Cambridge, the Met Office said, beating the previous record of 36.7C (98.06F) set at Heathrow in July 2015.

There have been reports of people fainting on trains, major stations were crammed with stranded commuters unable to get home in the searing heat, and police needed to intervene as tempers flared in queues outside a lido.

The extraordinary temperatures caused roads to melt and steel train tracks to expand and buckle.

One passenger trying to get from Leeds to London was stranded for nearly three hours on a train that stopped metres from Peterborough station.

Jack Moss told Sky News people were fainting as they waited for an announcement.

“After about two and a half hours they got us all off the train but then they made us get back on, saying the problem had been fixed and it could now make it to Peterborough station,” Mr Moss said.

“We finally made it into the station and people who were travelling to London were told to stay on and waited for about 45 more minutes with no updates.

“A man in his 70s was given emergency medical treatment on the ground outside. People were forcing the doors open just to get some air.”

London Northeastern Railway responded to Mr Moss on Twitter, saying: “I’m so, so sorry, this is absolutely not the service we aim to provide. I’m so sorry.”

It is not clear what caused the train to stop.

Network Rail said there had been disruption in various parts of the country including London, Essex and the North West.

“We have a number of heat-related incidents across the rail network this evening that are causing disruption to services,” Nick King, network services director at Network Rail, said.

People took various measures to cope with the heat. From men travelling topless on trains while working on laptops, to people sitting in carriages with full-size electric fans on their knees.

Others headed to the coast or to their local open-air swimming pool, where things were not always peaceful.

Police were called to Brockwell Lido in south London as hundreds of people tried to get in.

“Security staff closed the doors as a group of 500 people were trying to get in,” the Metropolitan Police said.

“The owners of the venue are advising people not to come as there is a three-hour waiting time.”

Parliament Hill Lido also had to restrict numbers because of overcrowding, with police reportedly being called after fights broke out in the queue. The Met had to leave an officer on patrol to guard against any more disruption.

“Further incidents of disorder broke-out throughout the day,” the force said.

There was a similar picture around the UK.

Staff at Portishead Lido in Bristol warned people on Twitter to “be prepared for a long wait”, adding: “There’s no shade.”

Among the things they recommended people bring were “sunscreen, a hat and some patience and humour”.

Lidos in Peterborough, London’s Tooting Bec and at Hemsley in York also turned away disappointed swimmers.

The heat was partly caused by hot air from Africa, the Met Office said.

High pressure over eastern Europe and Scandinavia, plus the position of the jet stream, funnelled that air towards the UK.

Experts say climate change is contributing to the intense heat.

Last year’s heatwave was made around 30 times more likely by human activity driving global warming, a Met Office study said.

Temperatures are set to cool over the coming days.

The Met Office said: “[Friday will be] another hot day in the far east, otherwise a fresher day with outbreaks of thundery rain across northern, central and eastern areas. Sunny spells in the west with isolated showers.

“[The weekend will be] humid in the north and east with heavy, thundery rain through the weekend. Elsewhere sunnier and fresher. Fewer showers by Monday, but perhaps turning wet in the South West later.”

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