Spending any length of time out in the sun is becoming almost impossible in popular European holiday destinations (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

A self-confessed sun worshipper on holiday in Corfu has admitted the heatwave gripping swathes of Europe is ‘unbearable’.

Tracy Byrne has just arrived on the Greek island for a two-week family holiday and temperatures are soaring to as high as 39°C.

The 47-year-old says people staying at Damia’s Hotel on the north of the island ‘can’t spend more than five minutes in the sun’.

Other holidaymakers at the resort either run for cover inside to seek the relief of air conditioning or need to jump in the pool to cool off.

Soaking up the rays is almost impossible in the scorching weather, which the mum-of-two described as ‘the hottest she’s ever seen in Greece’.

Even the locals are struggling to cope with the sweltering conditions and Tracy says they are ‘dripping with sweat’ and have told her it’s ‘horrible’.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I love the sun, but people are struggling here. The locals particularly and the people who are working in it, who are running round waitering and bringing drinks and food.

Tracy, right, is on holiday with her daughters Annie, left, Kitty and husband Uddie (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

Tracy says tourists and locals alike are struggling in the oppressive heat (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

‘Can you imagine cooks here in Greece in a kitchen? They’re absolutely soaked with sweat.

‘We know all of the staff and they’ve all said that they are struggling and that it’s too much. Last week, they had it for the whole week, so they’re really over it by now.

‘And the thing is they know that there is more to come, so I think they are just struggling to do their jobs.’

Tracy, who works as a podiatrist and runs the Holistic Health clinic in Hackney, London, says she has been coming to Greece for 25 years but has never experienced anything like it.

Amid the Charon heatwave, which followed closely behind the Cerberus anticyclone, Greece is one of the hottest countries in Europe right now.

Finding the cover of shade or heading indoors to the air conditioned apartments is the only option in the crippling high temperatures (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

Dogs are seeking cover from the sun in Corfu (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

So much so, many families in the UK have cancelled their holidays because of the extreme weather – and other tourists in Corfu are finding it tough.

‘I think the majority of people are struggling with this amount of heat,’ Tracy said.

‘The moment you see somebody, the first thing they say is “God, it’s so hot” and “when is it going to end?”

‘It’s too much. For most people I think this is probably unbearable.’

When asked whether people are able to sunbathe at all, Tracy said: ‘Only for very short periods. People aren’t just lying by the pool.

‘You can see it just gets to you after five-ten minutes and they’re either back in the water or they’re going back inside to their air conditioned apartments.’

Tracy, pictured here with her family, says for most people, the weather is ‘unbearable’ (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

Despite the sizzling heat, Tracy, her husband Uddie, 53, and daughters Annie, 16, and Kitty, 13, are still going to try and make the most of their holiday.

They plan to take a ferry ride to nearby Albania, hire a car with air conditioning to visit more of the island, and make the most of boat trips and pedalo rides.

‘Anything that’s near the water so we can cool down really,’ Tracy added.

Scientists have warned that the heatwave is likely a result of global warming and Tracy admitted that climate change does worry her, having seen how hot it is in Corfu right now.

She said: ‘I think things are really changing, we’ve all seen that. We’re starting to put two and two together and we’re thinking “hold on a minute, where will this stop? Is it going to be 45°C in 10 years time, which would probably be too much for anybody?”

Tracy, right, her husband Uddie, left, and their two children are going to try and enjoy the trip – but it’s going to be a challenge as the Charon heatwave relentlessly grips southern Europe (Picture: Tracy Byrne)

‘It’s getting really ridiculous. I have some real concerns about the future and what climate change is doing – and probably the unknown element is the most frightening, because we don’t know where it’s going to stop.’

Elsewhere in Europe, a freak storm with hailstones the size of tennis balls hit northern Italy and left at least 110 injured.

Six people died and dozens were injured after a powerful storm hit the Balkans.

Wildfires caused by the heatwave have ravaged multiple countries, including Greece, where flames are said to be ‘spreading out of control’ in Athens.

In the US, heat records have been broken and wildfire smoke has triggered air quality warnings.

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‘It’s too much, it’s unbearable.’