A health warning has been issued with Saharan dust that descended on London set to return later in the week.
A bizarre “red sun” was seen over the capital and other parts of the UK on Monday in a strange phenomenon caused by Storm Ophelia.
According to experts at the Met Office, the rare spectacle was caused by the former hurricane pushing warm air from Africa northwards, and with it came the Saharan dust.
As the air moved north towards Ireland and the UK, it gathered smoke and tiny debris from recent wildfires in Spain and Portugal.
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It sparked a health warning as a charity advised those with severe asthma to check forecasts and stay indoors where possible to avoid the dust.
Sonia Munde, head of the helpline at Asthma UK, said: "We are deeply concerned about the toxic air from Saharan dust that Hurricane Ophelia has churned up, as this could pose a severe risk for the 5.4 million people in the UK who have asthma.
"Winds picking up dust and particles in the air could trigger potentially fatal asthma attacks."
And the dust is set to return to the capital’s skies on Wednesday, the Met Office said.
A forecaster told the Standard: “It will be largely better tomorrow however southerly winds on Wednesday will mean the dust will return."
He added: “There will be an improving picture for the rest of the week as westerly winds move in.”
