A new map from the Met Office has revealed the areas in Essex that are at "exceptional" risk of wildfires as a heatwave hits the UK.

Warnings are in place over the health impacts of extreme heat and the risk of wildfires, as temperatures are expected to climb as high as 36C in some areas of the country.

The latest maps issued by the Met Office as part of its Fire Severity Index (FSI) reveal that most of Essex will be at "exceptional" risk on every day over the weekend.

Which areas of Essex are at risk of wildfires?

On Friday a diagonal stretch of Essex will be included in the area for "exceptional" risk for wildfires including Chelmsford, Billericay, Brentwood, Witham, Braintree, Halstead and Colchester.

Echo: Met Office map for risk of wildfires, with red being in the 'Exceptional' warning zone (Met Office)Met Office map for risk of wildfires, with red being in the 'Exceptional' warning zone (Met Office)

It will be covering most of Central, North East and North West Essex, with some Southern parts like Basildon, Southend and Rochford missing out.

Menawhile, on Saturday basically all of the county is included in the area for "exceptional" risk, except for a small North East corner including Walton-on-the-Naze, Dovercourt and Clacton-on-Sea.

Echo: The wildfire risk for Essex on Saturday (Met Office)The wildfire risk for Essex on Saturday (Met Office)

Southend and Rochford also avoid being included in the worst warning area, but pretty much everywhere else is in the red.

Finally on Sunday it returns to a similar level seen on Friday, with most of the county covered, with small areas like Saffron Walden, Southend and Walton-on-the-Naze avoiding the "exceptional" risk area.

Echo: The wildfire risk areas for Sunday in Essex (Met Office)The wildfire risk areas for Sunday in Essex (Met Office)

To see the full Met Office map view it at their website here.