Brits warned as record heatwave intensifies

Georgia Bates, The Independent

Britain's largest ambulance service has urged the public to drink responsibly and avoid outdoor exercise as a punishing heatwave continues to grip the nation, bringing record-breaking June temperatures. The country endured a second consecutive day of exceptionally hot and humid conditions on Thursday, with rare red weather warnings extending into Friday.

The Met Office confirmed that temperatures soared to 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon, provisionally marking it as the UK's hottest June day ever recorded. The extreme conditions have led to school and nursery closures, while a hosepipe ban has been implemented in Kent due to surging demand. Transport services face significant disruption, with one rail operator advising against travel for beach trips.

A 50-year-old man from Cilfrew, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, died on Wednesday after entering the water at Aberavon beach, police confirmed. On Thursday evening, firefighters in Derbyshire continued battling a 500 square metre wildfire on Tintwistle Moor, with video showing billowing smoke and flames consuming trees. Several hospitals have declared critical incidents amid the heatwave, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.

Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust both declared critical incidents on Wednesday. The London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to its highest number of life-threatening emergencies ever on Wednesday, and its chief operating officer Craig Harman said they expect "demand to grow day on day over the next couple of days".

As football fans prepare to cheer for England during Saturday's Fifa World Cup game, Mr Harman has told people to drink responsibly. He advised people to drink "plenty of water" in between alcoholic beverages. The chief told the Press Association that it is not just the elderly and people with underlying health conditions affected by the heat, adding: "I'm saying to people I need you to drink water even when you're not thirsty, staying out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, and particularly not exercising outside and putting your body under additional heat and strain."

LAS saw a 50 per cent increase in life-threatening emergency calls compared with a typical Wednesday in June, with the number of cardiac arrests up 30 per cent. Meanwhile, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has said air conditioning should be rolled out to schools, offices and hospitals in the capital as it adapts to more intense and frequent heatwaves, as he launched the city's first heat plan to keep Londoners safe. The current heatwave is driven by a "heat-dome" — an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat — settling over western Europe and bringing extreme conditions across the continent. Human-driven climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.

Earlier, the Met Office extended its red warning until 9pm on Friday for London and parts of east and South East England, stretching across Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Kent — the first time it has issued red heat warnings over three consecutive days. Amber heat warnings are in place for a wider area on Friday, and are running into Saturday for parts of east and south-east England. A yellow warning is in place for thunderstorms for south-west England on Thursday night, while swathes of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland face yellow warnings for thunderstorms on Friday.

Annie Shuttleworth, a Met Office meteorologist, said lightning is likely on Thursday night for some areas in the South West, with rain in more northern areas on Friday morning. Eastern England is expected to see the highest temperatures on Friday, she added, but things will "finally cool down this weekend". Wales has seen its hottest June day on record on Thursday, with 35.9C recorded in Cardiff, meanwhile, Northern Ireland has seen the previous record high for June matched after a temperature of 30.8C was reached in Castlederg.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) issued an electricity margin notice — which calls on companies to make additional capacity available — for Friday evening due to the temperatures. A NESO spokesperson said: "Our forecasts are showing tight margins on the electricity system for tomorrow evening (Friday). "An Electricity Margin Notice (EMN) has been issued to the market. This is a routine tool, and means we are asking market participants to make any additional generation capacity they may have available.

"The EMN does not mean electricity supply is at risk."