Greece and Turkey continue to battle major wildfires amid a severe heatwave. Temperatures reached 42.4C in central Greece at the weekend, with emergency services battling fires in the Peloponnese area of Athens and on the popular tourist islands of Kytheria and Crete.

A week-long heatwave in Greece that began on Monday is now expected to last more than a week, the country's weather service said as temperatures on Friday neared 46C. The National Observatory in Athens said the warmest temperature recorded was 45.

After extreme heat hits many parts of southern Europe in another heatwave, conditions should improve for holidaymakers.

Greece has announced plans to "urgently" overhaul its water management, as temperatures continue to rise during a week-long heatwave.

ATHENS, July 22 (Reuters) - Greece and the wider Balkans sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with labourers barred from work, tourists kept away from the ruins and firefighters battling blazes scattered across the arid countryside.

According to Ekathimerini.com, mainland Greece will be the hardest hit region, with central Macedonia and Thessaly forecast to see highs of 42C and 43C. Athens, Thessaloniki and the eastern Aegean islands will see between 39C and 40C.

Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month

ATHENS (Reuters) -Labourers were pausing outdoor work and tourists seeking shade on Tuesday as Greece sweltered under its third heatwave of the summer and soaring temperatures gripped the wider Balkan region,