Car melts on a street as heatwave sweeps Europe

A British tourist John Westbrook was astonished when the mercury hit 37C in the coastal town of Caorle in northern Italy and a vehicle he saw started to drip.

Taxi driver John, 48, captured amazing video of the lights, wing mirrors and window fittings melting off a Renault Megane parked near the beach.

The father from Folkestone, Kent, said: "We drove past and just couldn't believe what we were seeing. Bits of the car were literally dripping off on to the road.

"Even bits of the bumper were melted and the wing mirrors were starting to buckle. I guess the moral of the story is don't trust French cars," he added.

John took the photos today while on a two week break with his wife Joanne, 45, and son Robbie, 21.

He said temperatures have hovered around the high 30s since they arrived over the weekend, forcing them to spend most of the daytime indoors.

"As soon as you walk out of the hotel it's like walking into an oven," said John.

Record temperatures in north-western Italy have left 140 pensioners dead in just the first ten days of July this year, according to data from the environmental agency there.

Tourists have been warned to take precautions against the heat, and farm animals have been given air conditioning, according to reports.

This comes after Mirror Online revealed temperatures in parts of Cyprus recently rocketed to 57C and steering wheels had started to melt.