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The recent heatwave has seen massive spikes in retail volumes for chilled and frozen goods, according to DHL Supply Chain.

The UK’s largest logistics firm said the hot weather in July had seen demand for bottled water rise by 45% and soft drink volume increase by 35%.

During the heatwave, which is set to return this weekend, DHL has moved nine million bags of ice cubes and 60 million ice-creams and frozen lollies.

Furthermore suncream volumes have increased by 96% while, strangely, the number of bicycles the firm moves increased by 10%.

Dean Wyatt, VP of business development retail at DHL Supply Chain, said: "The supply chain offers a fascinating insight to consumer demand.

"With any weather scenario, planning ahead is crucial; DHL’s wealth of data enabled it to prepare for the impact of the heatwave on buying habits, so our customers stay on step ahead.”