Spain and Germany have been the worst-affected countries, with nearly 4,000 and and around 4,500 in each nation respectively, the World Health Organization said.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said temperatures in Europe had been the highest on record for both the month of August and the summer (June-August) as a whole .
All of the South West is in drought after Wessex - which includes Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, south Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire - were declared in drought by the Environment Agency.