North Yorkshire chocolatier working nights due to temperatures

A North Yorkshire chocolatier has been working at night to ensure the high temperatures do not ruin his creations.

Ashley McCarthy has also stopped mail orders to avoid his "ornamental pieces" turning into "messy lumps".

"The hot weather is making the job a lot harder," he said.

A red warning for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday has been issued for swathes of the UK, with record-breaking temperatures expected.

Mr McCarthy, who has featured on Channel 4's Extreme Chocolate Makers, said temperatures in his kitchen have consistently been in the "high 30s" in recent days.

"We were working until one in the morning the other day, making chocolate frogs for a Harry Potter-themed event," he said.

Mr McCarthy said he has set aside a cooler room at his pub, Ye Old Sun Inn at Colton, near Tadcaster, for working with chocolate

"There's a lot more running about when the temperatures are this high.

"We'll do a little bit of work, then put the creation back in the fridge to chill for a while, then get it back out to do a little more work and so on. It's hard work."

He said the decision to stop most deliveries was the only practical one he could make, given the soaring temperatures.

"The last thing customers, or we, want are messy lumps of chocolate in the bottom of boxes.

"We have only been making local deliveries since the hot spell arrived - even then, we have been picking our times carefully."

Forecasters have predicted record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday and an extreme heat warning has been issued which includes much of Yorkshire.

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