Global warming could lead to a return of insect-borne diseases in Britain such as malaria, and increased incidence of skin cancer caused by exposure to the sun, a government report warns today. With temperatures forecast to rise into the high 30s this summer, scientists fear Britain could be in line for at least one extreme heatwave before 2012. Tick-borne diseases are set to increase, along with the threat of other diseases associated with hotter climates. The report by a group of scientists for the Department of Health updates earlier warnings that climate change could see heat-related deaths rise to more than 2,800 a year in Britain. Heatstroke claimed the lives of nearly 15,000 people in France in exceptional conditions in 2003, and today's report by the Department of Health warns that could be a taste of things to come in Britain.

- milder winters could continue to see a drop in winter deaths and ease pressure on the NHS, which used to suffer an annual winter emergency. Some estimates suggest that the number of cold-related winter deaths could fall by up to 20,000.