SYDNEY endured its hottest ever day on Friday, with records smashed across the city and thousands of people suffering from the heat.

The mercury topped 45.8 at Sydney’s Observatory Hill at 2.55pm, breaking the previous record set in 1939 by half a degree. The city’s highest temperature was a scorching 46.5 degrees, recorded in Penrith at 2.15pm, while Camden, Richmond and Sydney Airport all reached 46.4 degrees.

More than 220 people had been treated for heat exposure or fainting by late afternoon, the Ambulance Service of NSW said.