Sussex is being warned to brace itself for soaring temperatures as a record-breaking heatwave sweeps the county.

Forecasters are predicting temperatures could push towards 100 degrees Fahrenheit this week, which would smash records dating back as far as 1911.

St John Ambulance staff are warning people to carry "survival kits" to cope with the heat as the Met Office issued a heatwave warning last night.

Coastguards said they had to cope with more than 50 emergency incidents yesterday, a record for Solent crews, as youngsters risked their lives "tombstoning" - leaping from rocks and cliffs - and others ran into trouble along the Sussex coast.

Many of the reports were of swimmers getting into trouble in the water as thoughts of safety gave way to high spirits in the summer sun.

No one suffered serious injuries, however.

Other call-outs included a false alarm of a craft on fire at Pagham Harbour and yachts and motor cruisers breaking down.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the coast at the weekend to bask in glorious weather offset by a cooling breeze.

But forecasters said temperatures could rise well above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Centigrade tomorrow and Wednesday as the wind drops.

The glorious weather looks set to continue for the next few days and temperatures could top those in the Canary Islands, forecasters said.

The July record stands at 36 degrees Centigrade or 97 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in Epsom in 1911.

High concentrations of smog are also predicted.

Coastguards said they were stretched at the weekend. They fear that as children break for their summer holidays, problems could escalate.

Geoff Matthews, watch officer at Solent Coastguard, said: "At one point we had more than 20 emergency incidents on our computer screens at once on Sunday.

"Our helicopter was turning around faster than its rotor blades. It's pandemonium but we're coping with it."

Coastguards said they had responded to a number of "tombstoners".

Two children are in hospital after suffering head and neck injuries and broken ankles inflicted while playing the deadly game over the past month. The heat also took its toll on the elderly and sunbathers, with care homes buying up fans to try to keep pensioners cool and lifeguards dealing with cases of sunstroke.

Members of St John Ambulance are recommending no one leaves home without a survival kit of water, sugary food, medication, sunscreen and hats.

A spokesman said: "Our main policy is to make sure we've plenty of water to hand out. The biggest problem is that people come out without enough fluid to drink and suffer dehydration and sunstroke as a result."

Lyn Woodford, senior carer at Ashmount nursing home in Southey Road, Worthing, said: "We've got fans everywhere and we're trying to get the residents to drink much more than they usually would but they're a bit weary. We just have to do our best to cope with it."

Tourists also ran into trouble during the sizzling sunshine.

A major land and sea search was mounted on Saturday when a nine-year-old girl went missing from a beach at West Wittering.

Coastguard rescue craft, the India Juliet helicopter, lifeboats and police and fire teams were all involved in the search.

The girl, from Weybridge in Surrey, turned up in a security office at a nearby caravan park later in the evening.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said high levels of smog were expected across southern England for the next three days and firefighters warned people to be careful when discarding cigarettes after several minor grassland blazes across the county.