Extreme weather 'becoming the norm' - as minister warns UK's way of life 'under threat'

Britain's climate is changing rapidly, with records regularly being smashed and extremes of heat and rainfall becoming the norm, the Met Office has warned.

In an updated assessment of the UK's climate, the forecaster says heatwaves and periods of flood or drought are becoming more frequent and more intense.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called the findings "a stark warning" to take action on climate and nature.

"Our British way of life is under threat," Mr Miliband told the PA news agency.

"Whether it is extreme heat, droughts, flooding, we can see it actually with our own eyes, that it's already happening, and we need to act."