New figures show fewer people were on the move in Bolton as they took precautions during the peak of the recent heatwave.

The UK recorded historic temperatures on July 18 and 19 with some areas reaching more than 40C for the first time.

The heatwave caused major disruption to travel and fires broke out around the country with climate charities warning extreme temperatures will become more severe and more frequent as the climate crisis worsens.

On the hottest day, in Bolton the footfall on public transport was down compared to the week before.

Figures from Google, which uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement in different areas of their daily lives, shows activity on public transport on July 19 was 20.7 per cent below the week before.

On Monday July 18 footfall was also 7.7 per cent down on the previous week.

Across the UK, public transport usage was 9.1 per cent lower on Monday and 13.2 per cent down on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the government said it is "taking robust action to prepare for the challenges of climate change".

"We are working to ensure our homes are fit for the future and have already committed to considering overheating and adaption when developing our future policies to future-proof our housing stock," they added.

Workplace activity around the country remained roughly the same during the hot weather, but residential footfall doubled on Monday July 18 and more than tripled on Tuesday, July 19 compared to a week earlier.

In Bolton, time spent in residential areas on July 19 increased by 10.6 per cent.

Climate change thinktank the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy said it is unknown whether people stayed at home due to the dangers of the heat or the disruption caused to public transport and daily life, but that employees and employers will have to adapt in the future.