British seaside resorts are booming as Europe suffers under a record-breaking heatwave causing deadly fires and dangerously high ozone layers.

Both north and south Wales saw large numbers of visitors making for beaches and attractions on Sunday, enjoying unbroken sunshine. Colin Rouse, chair of Carmarthenshire Tourism Association, told the BBC that feedback from members suggested it was shaping up to be a good summer season, with more continental Europeans in the region than previous years.

Many Brits are choosing to stay at home and enjoy their own gardens this summer or head to the nearest British beach, with the metereological office forecasting a ten degree rise in temperatures than is considered normal for August.

Elliott Frisby from VisitBritain says this summer will certainly provide a welcome boost for the UK tourism industry. "Over the last fortnight nearly one in five UK residents have taken a trip in England with the spectacular weather offering the perfect opportunity for everyone to refamiliarise themselves with, and enjoy, our beautiful coastline and countryside as well as many of our historic attractions and contemporary cities."

Britain's railways and its customers are not enjoying the heat, however, with the country's network suffering widespread and disruptive speed restrictions due to a fear of derailments caused by buckled rails.

Across large areas of Europe, the extreme heat and humidity is causing death and misery for both humans and animals, with forest fires raging across France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Twenty-five deaths have been blamed on the heat wave, with Portugal declaring a national disaster after 11 people died in forest fires and heat stress conditions. The country has reportedly asked NATO for planes and helicopters to help fight the fires.

Drastic speed restrictions have been introduced on French motorways in order to combat rising ozone pollution and in the south of France, speed limits were cut by 20mph around Nice and Marseille after ozone levels hit a peak of 261 microgrammes.

Elsewhere in France, forest fires – some started by arsonists, have forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists and left five people dead, including a British teenager and her grandmother in the Var region last week. Woodland fires are also threatening Russia, Croatia and Poland.

One much-revered creature is not suffering in the heat wave. A great white shark reportedly arrived in British waters this week, spotted 20 miles off the north-Devon coast. Sightings have been reported from the Hebrides to the tip of Cornwall in recent years, as global warming apparently drives the creatures ever further north.