Britain today experienced its hottest day on record with temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) as the country was swept by wildfires in record heat that experts say is the result of climate change.
The mercury hit an unprecedented 40.3C (104.5F) in Coningsby and 40.2C (104.4F) at London Heathrow Airport at 12.50pm – around an hour after a reading of 39.1C (102.4F) in Charlwood, Surrey, beat the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. In third place is 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003, and 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday is fourth.
Elsewhere in England this afternoon, by lunchtime the mercury had got up to 39.9C (103.8F) at Charlwood, 39.6C (103.3F) at Kew Gardens in West London, 39.3C (102.7F) at Wisley in Surrey, and 39.2C (102.6F) at both Chertsey in Surrey and Northolt in West London – with all of these readings also beating the all-time UK high from 2019.
The highs in England are equal to the warmest spots anywhere in Europe today. The UK is also hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados.
The extreme heat has been caused by a plume of hot air from north Africa and the Sahara and an ‘Azores High’ subtropical pressure system creeping further north than usual – which experts say is a result of climate change.
Wildfires broke out across the south of England. A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, Essex, and appeared to have destroyed at least two houses – while major fires also broke out nearby in Upminster and across the Thames at Dartford in Kent; on a day when millions of people were working from home. There was also a major gorse blaze today at Zennor near St Ives in Cornwall.
The Met Office also confirmed that last night was the warmest night on record in Britain, with temperatures not falling below 25C (77F) in many areas of England and Wales. The highest overnight minimum in the UK last night was 25.9C (78.6F) at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire, while it was 25.8C (78.4F) at Kenley in Croydon, South London.
This smashed the previous record of 23.9C (75F) in Brighton set on August 3, 1990. It comesone day after Wales had its hottest day ever with 37.1C (99F) in Hawarden, Flintshire – beating a record set in the same village in 1990.
In Cambridgeshire today, the surface of the A14 at Bottisham appeared to have melted and buckled. And on the trains, Network Rail and operators upgraded their travel advice for those heading north out of London into the red warning area to ‘do not travel’, saying there will be no services in or out of London King’s Cross all day today.
The heat has brought major rail chaos for commuters around the capital, with no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running in any location north of London, from Blackfriars via St Pancras, or from King’s Cross or Moorgate.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told people across Britain today to ‘apply common sense’ and ‘depending on the nature of your journey and reason for it, you might want to consider rearranging your day around it’.
But the sight of parts of the UK shutting down sparked a backlash, with complaints that ministers and health chiefs were ‘acting like nanny’ – while holidaymakers were delayed yesterday as a part of runway at Luton Airport melted.
Today, the Supreme Court in London was closed to visitors because of the heat and an air-conditioning fault. A sign was posted at the building’s entrance explaining the problem, although hearings could still be viewed online.
But the extreme heat is likely to end with a bang tomorrow, with the Met Office issuing a thunderstorm warning for between 1pm and 9pm across the South East amid concerns of sudden flooding, lightning strikes and power cuts. Forecasters said up to 1.2in (30mm) of rain could fall in some areas in just an hour and 2in (50mm) in three hours.
Before then, with the UK’s first ever red warning for extreme heat still predicted to see the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time ever this afternoon, normal life was on hold in parts of the country as:
- At least 171 schools closed, with teachers claiming learning was impossible in sweltering classrooms;
- Hospitals cancelled appointments and non-urgent operations as operating theatres turned into ovens;
- Royal Mail workers were told to return to sorting offices with undelivered mail amid fears they would fall ill;
- Experts recommended avoiding the beach and holding off exercising until the extreme heat has passed;
- Commuter numbers on roads and railways were down by up to a fifth, and tracks on some lines buckled;
- There was a spate of water-related tragedies, including a 13-year-old boy’s body pulled from the River Tyne;
- A 50-fold increase in demand for fans alongside a boom for bottled water, ice lollies and canned cocktails;
- Water companies raised the prospect of hosepipe bans amid fears of a summer drought.
LNER will run no trains from south of York and south of Leeds to King’s Cross – and Southern, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are among the operators running significantly reduced services.
On the London Underground, there was no Hammersmith & City line, no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate due to ‘heat-related speed restrictions’ and no Jubilee line between Waterloo and Willesden Green.
There were severe delays on the Central, District and Victoria lines; severe delays on the sections of the Jubilee and Metropolitan that were in operation; and no Overground between Willesden Junction and Richmond or Romford and Upminster. There were also delays on the western and eastern sections of the Elizabeth line.
Two women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, Essex, this afternoon and appeared to have destroyed this house (centre)
Some 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade are dealing with the Wennington blaze in Essex today
The surface of the A14 at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire appears to have melted and buckled today during the heatwave
Maximum temperatures of at least 40C are expected in England this afternoon – but could rise even further to as high as 43C
Forecasters at MetDesk produced this map revealing where the top temperatures are likely to be observed in Britain today
A group of women walk along the pebbles of Brighton beach today as they head to the coast of East Sussex
People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
A member of F Company Scots Guards swelters during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace today
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a huge grass fire came within feet of homes
People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
A young woman in the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today as the heatwave continues
Beachgoers make the best of the scorching morning temperatures at West Bay in Dorset today
Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent today after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record
Peter Dolby jumps into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester today on what is expected to be the hottest day on record
Two women lay a towel on the sand at Bournemouth beach today as sunbathers flock to the Dorset coast to enjoy the heat
A man and woman sit in the River Dove in Dovedale today during the heatwave as people enjoy the weather in Derbyshire
Sunworshippers on Brighton beach this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning
People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
A woman sits by the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today as Britons experience the hottest UK day on record
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work today
Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent today after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record
People enjoy the hottest day of year at Stainforth Force in the Yorkshire Dales this afternoon as they cool off
People flock to the beach and seafront at Southend-on-Sea this morning as an Essex Police officer walks past
Cyclist Oonagh Thin, 24 takes a rest to enjoy the sun at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh this morning
Australian cabaret and circus troupe Briefs take to the water to attempt to cool themselves during a photocall for ‘Bites’ outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London today
Two women sunbathe on Brighton beach in East Sussex this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning
Racehorses get cooled down at trainer Sue Smith’s yard near Bingley in West Yorkshire this morning
People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London’s Hyde Park today
A member of the Household Cavalry has a fan placed next to him at Horse Guards Parade in Central London this morning
People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire – known as ‘Blue Lagoon’ – on what is the hottest day on record in the UK
A horse at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster is given some water to cool down as the heatwave continues
Siblings Joshua, Harry and Chloe jump into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester, Hampshire, this morning
A member of the Household Cavalry feels the heat at Horse Guards Parade in London today as the heatwave continues
The Tarmac on Crook Mill Road in East Halton, North Lincolnshire, is sizzling today due to the current heatwave
People walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning ahead of another very hot day at the seaside
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
Friends Isaac Pratt and Connie Dolby hold hands as they drift down the river at Compton Lock in Winchester this morning
The dried out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir in North Yorkshire, pictured this morning
A woman enjoys the hot weather on a paddleboard at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning
People on the beach in Bournemouth this afternoon as Britons bake on the hottest UK day on record
Police smashed the window of a £25,000 electric Hyundai to save a dog trapped inside in London’s Leicester Square
The UK has experienced its warmest night on record, according to provisional Met Office figures as shown in this map
In the West End, Oxford Circus station was closed this morning while London Fire Bridgade crews investigated what they said were ‘reports of smoke issuing from an escalator machine room on the northbound Victoria line’.
Transport for London said London’s rail network will be running a reduced service throughout today due to safety restrictions put into place to deal with the heat, and Gatwick Express trains were completely suspended.
Network Rail had previously warned customers to travel only if ‘absolutely necessary’ today. It said the hottest rail track was 62C (143F) in Suffolk yesterday – where the air temperature was 38.1C (100.6F). Merseyrail said the number of trains running and journey times will be ‘seriously affected’, with some routes shut.
East Midlands Railway is running limited services between Derby, Nottingham, Luton, Bedford and London, which will stop completely between lunchtime and 7pm – the hottest period of the day.
There are limited and disrupted services running into and out of London Euston – on Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway – and London Marylebone with Chiltern Railway, according to Network Rail.
Meanwhile a section of the A14 dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was left looking like a ‘skatepark’ after it warped in the heatwave yesterday, police said.
Policing East Cambridgeshire said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, with a photo of the damaged road surface: ‘No, the A14 is not being turned into a skatepark… unfortunately the road surface isn’t coping well in this heat. While it might look like fun it’s potentially very dangerous.’
The westbound section of the A14 at Bottisham was closed overnight for emergency repairs and had reopened by around 7am today, National Highways said.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth told how it was ‘extraordinarily unusual’ to see temperatures in the 30Cs by the morning rush-hour in the UK.
She added: ‘We’re looking at the maximum temperatures somewhere between 40C to 41C, and that’s looking to be across the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire region.’
Forecaster Rachel Ayers added: ‘There are likely to be delays on roads, with road closures, as well as possible delays and cancellations to trains and maybe issues with air travel. This could pose a significant health risk to those stuck on services or roads during the heat.’
Figures published by location technology firm TomTom show the level of road congestion at 9am today was lower in several cities than at the same time last week.
In Birmingham, congestion levels fell from 48 per cent on July 12 to 32 per cent. In Bristol, congestion levels were down from 46 per cent to 42 per cent. In London, levels fell from 60 per cent to 44 per cent. In Manchester, it declined from 59 per cent to 44 per cent.
The data shows the proportion of extra time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.
Forecasters and NHS leaders have warned that thousands of people – even those who are fit and healthy – could die during the ‘ferocious’ heatwave, urging them to do ‘as little as possible’.
But in a furious backlash, senior Tory MPs claimed people were becoming ‘frightened of the heat’. Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘Great British common sense should be allowed to prevail’.
‘I long for the day when the Government stops acting like Nanny telling everyone what to do, every institution panicking and the BBC telling us we’re all going to die,’ he said yesterday.
‘If it’s very hot, just give people advice – wear a hat, wear sun lotion, drink a lot of liquid. If you go to Italy or France, they don’t just stop everything because it’s hot.’
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense group of backbench Tory MPs, said we were entering ‘a cowardly new world where we live in a country where we are frightened of the heat’.
‘It is not surprising that in snowflake Britain, the snowflakes are melting,’ he added. ‘Thankfully, most of us are not snowflakes.’
Former Tory Health Minister Edwina Currie warned against ‘too much hectoring’.
She called on the Government to promote ‘more positive messages’ in hot weather, such as going to work and school early in the morning and ‘having a siesta’ to stay out of the sun.
Former Northern Ireland First Minister Dame Arlene Foster branded the warnings ‘Government over-reach’, add-ing that ‘all of this started with Covid regulations’.
She told BBC Politics Live people now ‘expect the Government to tell them how to live their lives, which I think is absolutely wrong’.
Tory donor and Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins claimed the push to stay away from work due to hot weather risked damaging an already fragile economy.
‘The only reason they want to be at home is so they can sit in the sun,’ he told Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show. ‘It’s another excuse. Just go to work, get on with your job.
Sunseekers head into the water at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the extreme heat continues in England
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
People carry umbrellas to take cover from the sun during a heatwave at Trafalgar Square in London this afternoon
A busy Bournemouth beach this morning as people enjoy the sunshine on what is set to be a record-breaking day
People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
A woman wears an umbrella hat on the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues
Steller sea eagle Vraska cools down with keeper Johanna McQuade at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park today
Beachgoers make the best of the scorching morning temperatures at West Bay in Dorset today
A woman lays on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, today as Britons feel the heat on the hottest UK day on record
Australian cabaret and circus troupe Briefs take to the water to attempt to cool themselves during a photocall for ‘Bites’ outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London today
People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire – known as ‘Blue Lagoon’ – on what is the hottest day on record in the UK
People with their feet in a fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London today as the heatwave continues
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington, today
People enjoy the hottest day of year at Stainforth Force in the Yorkshire Dales this afternoon as they cool off
People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
Swimmers Tara Wight and Kate Whitaker in the sea at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh this morning amid the heatwave
People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
Fire crews have been sent to a gorse blaze at Zennor near St Ives in Cornwall, which is pictured this morning
A woman goes for a swim off Bournemouth beach today as people enjoy the water and sun on the Dorset coast
People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
People on Bournemouth beach this morning as Britons prepare for another very hot day across the country
Two women carry water across Bournemouth beach early this morning as sunseekers flock to the Dorset coast again
Ddrone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured today, after it started yesterday
People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning
A group of men go for a paddle early this morning at Bournemouth beach as sunseekers flock to the Dorset coast again
Chippy the chimpanzee enjoying an ice treat at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park near Stirling this morning
People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire – known as ‘Blue Lagoon’ – on what is the hottest day on record in the UK
Commuters and joggers cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures as the heatwave continues
People rest on a bench at St James’s Park in London today as temperatures soar again across England
People on Bournemouth beach this morning as Britons prepare for another very hot day across the country
The dried out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir in North Yorkshire, pictured this morning
A woman wears an umbrella hat on the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues
People basking in the sun on Brighton beach today as temperatures soar across the country
A ambulance drives along the promenade in Bournemouth today on the hottest day on record in England
Empty ice cream freezers at the Tesco Extra in Musselburgh, East Lothian, today as the UK endures the hottest day on record
A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures
A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning
The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham this morning where fire crews are still on the scene
A cyclist makes her way around Holyrood Park in Edinburgh today as the UK is braced to face the hottest day on record
People flock to the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues
A woman dips her head into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat
A bush fire in Leytonstone, East London, resulted in roads having to close as the heatwave continues in England
A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures
A man sits in a chair on the beach in Bournemouth today as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
Trains to London King’s Cross from Edinburgh Waverley station are cancelled due to hot weather this morning
A fire in Upminster, Essex, today as the hot weather continues amid a series of extreme weather warnings
Wayoh Reservoir in Entwistle, Bolton, which is currently well below capacity, is pictured today
A woman rests on the grass at St James’s Park in London today as temperatures soar again across England
‘If we put up with this, we’re going to open the floodgates for all the snowflakes. They’re not going to come to work, whether it’s too foggy, too wet, too rainy, windy, (or) storms are coming.’
Scotland and Northern Ireland also experienced their warmest days of the year so far yesterday with 31.3C (88.3F) recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, and 31.1C (88F) in Derrylin, County Fermanagh.
After Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab urged the country to ‘enjoy the sunshine’ and be ‘resilient enough through some of the pressures it will place’, beaches were thronged yesterday.
Members of the Household Cavalry have been using electric fans to help them cope with the rising temperatures in London.
Troops were looking red in the face and sweating while standing watch in their heavy ceremonial uniforms and helmets at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster, as the heatwave continued to hit the UK on Tuesday.
One could be seen stood in position with a large metal desk fan pointed towards him in a bid to keep him cool. Water was brought out to the horses of the mounted troops.
Meanwhile commuter numbers have plummeted across England – with a corresponding rise in visitor numbers to sea-side resorts.
It suggested that millions of people had heeded Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse, who said ‘this may be a moment to work from home’ – or taken the day off altogether.
Mr Malthouse updated the Cabinet on the impact of the heatwave during their meeting this morning.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster updated Cabinet on the impact of the heatwave. He said services had experienced some disruption but were generally coping well thanks to the hard work of frontline staff.’
After more than a dozen train firms advised passengers to travel only if it is ‘absolutely necessary’, Network Rail said the number using major stations across Britain yesterday was around 20 per cent down on the week before.
Rail tracks buckled in London’s Vauxhall in the heat – resulting in a safety inspection on the line that caused disruption between Waterloo and Clapham Junction.
And operator Great Northern said a buckled rail at Watlington in Norfolk meant services could not run between Cambridge and Kings Lynn.
Transport for London, which has advised people to ‘only travel if essential’, said around 1.03 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10am today.
This is down 30 per cent compared with the same period last Tuesday, and also lower than yesterday’s figure of 1.06 million.
Some 1.04million bus journeys were made up to 10am, a decrease of 16 per cent week on week, and down from Monday’s figure of 1.07million.
Today, Mr Shapps said issues on the rails and roads will continue for decades during extreme heatwaves.
Asked how long it will take to upgrade existing rail infrastructure to be more resilient, he told Sky News: ‘Decades, actually, to replace it all. Ditto with Tarmac on the roads.
‘There’s a long process of replacing it and upgrading it to withstand temperatures, either very hot or sometimes much colder than we’ve been used to, and these are the impacts of global warming.’
He said there was no Cobra meeting planned for today, with the Prime Minister instead chairing Cabinet.
A seal colony on the beach at Horsey Gap on the Norfolk coast this afternoon
Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon
People on the beach in Bournemouth today as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record
People sit next to the fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London today as the heatwave continues
People sleep on deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
A busy London Euston Station this morning amid mass travel disruption on the second day of the red weather warning
People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire – known as ‘Blue Lagoon’ – on what is the hottest day on record in the UK
People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London’s Hyde Park today
The sun rises over Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, this morning on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far
A man sleeping at London Bridge railway station this morning as temperatures are set to climb to 40C today
Trains in sidings at Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as many services are cancelled amid mass rail disruption
Today, the Supreme Court in London was closed to visitors because of the heat and an air-conditioning fault
People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London’s Hyde Park today
A person wets their hair in a fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London this morning
Early morning swimmers and paddleboarders cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today
The sun rises on a warm early morning over the countryside at Dunsden in Oxfordshire today
Sun scorched grass seen on what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far at Blackheath in South East London today
Empty shelves at a Lidl store in Clevedon, Somerset, this morning as the UK is set for another day of hot weather
People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London’s Hyde Park today
People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside today
A man drinks from a bottle of water on the Jubilee line this morning as commuters use the London Underground to get to work
Sunrise from Glastonbury Tor in Somerset this morning at the start of what could be the hottest day on record
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they wait for a train at London Bridge station
Empty shelves in the water aisle of a Sainsbury’s supermarket at Nine Elms in South West London this morning
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Swimmers Tara Wight and Kate Whitaker in the sea at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh this morning amid the heatwave
People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London’s Hyde Park today
People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire – known as ‘Blue Lagoon’ – on what is the hottest day on record in the UK
Mr Shapps also insisted Boris Johnson has not checked out early from Number 10 after the Prime Minister was criticised for not playing a direct enough role in combating the heatwave.
He told Sky News: ‘It’s literally not true, in fact exactly the opposite is the truth.’
Mr Shapps also conceded that the UK’s transport network cannot cope with the extreme heat.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘We’ve seen a considerable amount of travel disruption, we’re probably going to see the hottest day ever in the UK recorded today and infrastructure, much of it built in Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature.
‘And it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could, because the temperatures are so extreme.’
Asked if the transport system can cope with the weather, he said: ‘The simple answer at the moment is no.
‘Where those tracks are 40C in the air, on the ground that could be 50C, 60C, 70C and more.
‘So you get a severe danger of tracks buckling, what we can’t have is trains running over those and a terrible derailing.
‘We’ve got to be very cautious and conscious of that, which is why there’s reduced speeds on large parts of the network.’
Predictions of long tailbacks as road surfaces melted in the heat also took effect, with location technology firm TomTom recording congestion at 9am down by up to 11 per cent in major UK cities.
Lincolnshire Police said road surface temperatures topping 50C caused parts of the A159 to melt.
Transport for London – which advised people to ‘only travel if essential’ – said Tube passenger numbers were down 18 per cent on the previous Monday.
Meanwhile bus journeys in the capital were down ten per cent week-on-week.
Council staff pick up an abandoned tent on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the hot weather continues
Two women walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach this morning as people arrive early at the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
People rest on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter pickers on Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
People rest on deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
People rest on deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Retail analysts Springboard reported a similar fall in Central London footfall yesterday, with 11 per cent fewer peo-ple in regional cities – but a nine per cent boost in visitors to coastal towns.
Record heat brings Britain’s travel network to a halt: Three quarters of UK rail firms are running SLOWER trains as tracks hit 62C while Euston station lifts and Oxford Circus escalators break down in searing heat
Three quarters of Britain’s rail firms are running slower trains today after tracks hit 62C (144F) – while the escalators at Euston and Oxford Circus in London broke down in the searing heat.
A total of 21 train operators announced slower services to stop tracks buckling – with Network Rail warning travellers that train times could more than double due to speed restrictions.
The lifts and escalators at Euston Station are out of action ‘due to overheating’, while the London Fire Brigade had to be called after smoke began pouring out of an escalator machine room at Oxford Circus due to the escalator pads began ‘overheating’.
Meanwhile, a fire at Finchley Road in Central London has suspended service between Waterloo and Willesden Green and caused severe delays on the rest of the Jubilee Line.
Network Rail has issued a red ‘do not travel warning’ for services out of London, while hundreds of trains have been cancelled and other services subjected to reduced speeds after tracks buckled in the heat. The hottest railway track reached 62C (144F) yesterday at a spot in Suffolk, Network Rail said.
One father travelling from Paddington to Penzance with his wife and two young daughters told MailOnline: ‘I just got on the GWR to Penzance and the conductor informed us the speed is limited to 60mph due to heat restrictions on the track, so it’s going to be a long trip.’
Today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps admitted the UK’s infrastructure ‘could not cope’ with the extreme weather – as the country braced for potential highs of 43C (109F) this afternoon.
A section of the A14 dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was left looking like a ‘skatepark’ after it warped in the heatwave yesterday, police said. Meanwhile, a section of the A114 in Leytonstone, east London, had to be partially closed after the verge caught fire.
The RAC has warned motorists who may be driving to work that the number of vehicle breakdowns today could be a fifth higher than usual.
Road congestion in several cities was down on last week, TomTom figures showed, as people avoided travelling in the heat.
In Birmingham, congestion levels fell from 48 per cent on July 12 to 32 per cent, while in Manchester they decreased from 59 per cent to 44 per cent.
Runways at Luton Airport and RAF Brize Norton were impacted by the heat yesterday – forcing aircraft to divert. Brize Norton will remain closed today before an inspection tomorrow, it is understood.
‘People are clearly working at home today as advised,’ said the firm’s insights director, Diane Wehrle.
A number of small shops around the country closed early for the day or have closed completely until tomorrow. These included several groups of charity shops, while hairdressers, cafes and chip shops put up the closed signs.
In Durham, Woofs and Cuts dog groomers shut because it was ‘unsafe for any dogs to be in the hot conditions and for the journey to the appointment’.
At Wapping Wharf, Bristol, fashion and gift shop Frankly explained: ‘Our shop is in a metal box and it gets VERY hot in there.’
But the British Retail Consortium said major chains tend to have air conditioning, which protects staff and shoppers.
There were 90,592 visits to the heat exhaustion and heatstroke section of the NHS website yesterday, as temperatures soared, equivalent to around 63 visits every minute.
In total there have been 284,772 visits to the web page over the past seven days from July 12-18, NHS Digital said.
Interim deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin, said the heatwave was impacting urgent and emergency care and some planned care.
She said: ‘Across the country we are seeing hospitals having to scale back the number of planned surgeries as operating theatres are too hot.
‘Trusts are having to install industrial cooling units, mounting fans, and trying to cool down IT server rooms.’
She said staff have swapped formal uniforms for cooler scrubs, while in some places those who are not frontline workers have been given the option to work from home, and hospital kitchens are making ice lollies for staff and patients.
‘Trusts are checking in with their vulnerable patients to make sure they have ample amounts of water and plans in place to stay cool.
‘Many services have reviewed their clinical activities to assess whether appointments or group activities should be cancelled or moved virtually, particularly in community and mental health services.’
And discharge teams were considering the heat to make sure patients, carers, community hospitals and care homes have water supplies before being discharged, and the amount of time patients spend in a car or ambulance is reduced, she said.
Meanwhile several ambulance trusts reported normal call volumes for a Monday as NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis insisted ‘the overwhelming majority of NHS services are continuing to run’.
And Brian Jordan, director of 999 operations for London Ambulance Service, said the service saw a slight increase in calls for fainting and heat exposure.
The service received 6,600 emergency calls yesterday, which was actually slightly lower than predicted.
‘We really hope that’s because the public really have been listened to the messages about how they can look after themselves and only call 999 if it’s a genuine emergency,’ Mr Jordan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning.
‘People have been through a very long day yesterday and there’s been high temperatures overnight and with the even hotter temperatures today, I cannot really emphasise enough that people need to continue to do what we were asking them yesterday – to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, keep hydrated, look after more vulnerable friends, families, neighbours and use sun cream etc.’
He added: ‘As yesterday afternoon progressed we saw a slight increase in the rates of fainting and heat exposure’.
Mr Jordan said that the service expected to see a ‘build-up of illness due to the continued heat overnight and even higher temperatures coming today… it’s just about making sure that even after the peak temperatures, everyone continues to follow that advice’.
Ambulances were not waiting outside of hospitals any longer than usual on Monday, he added.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the service has detailed plans in place for dealing with the extreme hot weather.
He added: ‘We have seen above-average call numbers since Monday afternoon. Demand on our service is very high and, even when the temperatures drop, we expect to still being seeing an impact from heat-related illnesses into the weekend.
‘We continue to ask the public to help us, as their actions can help manage rapid increases in the number of people calling for an ambulance.
‘Please continue to follow guidance during this period of hot weather and only call 999 in life-threatening emergencies.’
Flights were suspended at London Luton Airport for around two hours before engineers managed to repair what was described as a ‘surface defect’ on the runway.
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on chairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast
People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast
Activity was also halted at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, with Sky News reporting that part of the runway had melted.
Heatwave could lead to devastating wildfires
Experts are worried about the possibility of major wildfires tearing through the countryside as temperatures threaten to soar as high as 40C.
Wildlife would be ‘devastated’ by such a blaze, with one expert suggesting Britain could face conditions similar to those taking hold in southern Europe.
Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham today after a huge fire
Patches of England were at ‘exceptional risk’ of wildfires on Monday, the Met Office said, with an alert spreading to most of the country for Tuesday.
‘I haven’t even seen the exceptional category being used in the times I’ve looked at the Wildfire Index before,’ Kathryn Brown, the Wildlife Trust’s director for climate action, said. ‘In southern Europe, we’re seeing these stories of these horrendous wildfires taking hold all over the place and these are the conditions that we’re going to be more prone to. We need to be much more aware, and the public needs to be much more aware, of the wildfire risk.’
Blazes across France, Spain, Portugal and Greece have levelled thousands of acres of land and forced the evacuation of locals and holidaymakers.
The National Trust has warned against lighting barbecues or campfires in open countryside and dropping litter such as glass bottles.
Crews at a grass fire last night in Ravenswood, Suffolk
‘We’re on tenterhooks that someone is careless with a cigarette butt or thoughtless by lighting barbecues and us having to deal with a wildfire,’ the charity’s conservation head Ben McCarthy said. ‘They destroy the habitat they rip through and also all the animals and plants that occur there and make up those habitats. At the Marsden Moor (in West Yorkshire) fire back in 2019, when we surveyed the site after the flames had been extinguished, we saw lots of burnt-out reptiles and amphibians, burnt-out nests.’
Rainfall has been scarce recently, with less than 1mm recorded in the north east and north west between July 6 and 12, with none across the rest of England.
A fire service photo of a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington, today
Along with making wildfires more likely, the RSPB is worried about the harm to bird populations over the next couple of days. ‘The birds that we see in our own gardens will really struggle because we’ve lost many natural sources of water over the past century,’ the charity’s Anna Feeney said. ‘A lot of ponds and wetlands have been drained for various reasons on farmland or just out on the wider landscape.’
She urged homeowners to put out basins of water so birds can drink and clean themselves.
Fish are also at risk, the Environment Agency said, with the heat triggering deadly algal blooms which reduce oxygen levels in streams and ponds. Anyone who finds distressed fish should avoid moving them and report them to an incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
It is understood RAF Brize Norton will remain closed today. An inspection and assessment is due to be carried out later and again tomorrow morning.
It was announced yesterday that flying activity was halted at the RAF base in Oxfordshire ‘during this period of extreme temperature’ and that aircraft would be using alternative airfields.
There are also warnings of wildfires, with people warned not to use barbecues or leave litter that could spark fires in the countryside.
A dramatic aerial photographs showed a huge area of farmland near Chesterfield in Derbyshire left charred and blackened by a fierce blaze.
Zoos and wildlife parks closed to protect animals, staff and visitors.
And Royal Mail warned there could be disruption to post deliveries, saying in a statement: ‘In areas where tem-peratures rise to potentially dangerous levels during the day, our staff have been advised to return to the office with any mail they have been unable to deliver and not put themselves under any risk of falling ill due to the extreme heat. The safety of our staff is paramount during this time.’
Water companies also said they were experiencing ‘unprecedented peak demand’, with people encouraged to ‘carefully consider’ their water usage and urged not to waste it.
Met Office chief executive Professor Penelope Endersby said a summer drought was a real threat after the first half of 2022 was drier than average.
Thames Water’s demand reduction manager, Andrew Tucker, admitted the firm was getting through water sup-plies ‘faster than we would like’.
While no restrictions are currently planned, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the situation ‘may change’ if the weather remains dry.
Meanwhile it has emerged some Severn Trent staff were been attacked with stones while trying to fix water hydrants in Coventry over the weekend following reports of issues with local water supply.
It came after people were tampering with hydrants so they could play in the water – and when a team arrived to resolve the problem, some disgruntled residents were said to have thrown stones at them. One of the stones bounced off a Severn Trent van and broke the window of another vehicle, reported Coventry Live.
Elsewhere, council gritters were on stand-by to spread light dustings of sand on melting roads.
The RAC anticipated that the number of vehicle breakdowns on Monday and Tuesday could be up to a fifth higher than normal.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has a high pollution alert in place in the eastern parts of England and the East Midlands, meaning EU ozone pollution thresholds have been exceeded.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden recorded its peak temperature for yesterday as 38C (100.4F), lower than the current UK heat record of 38.7C (101.7F) that was set there in 2019. The attraction said that the high was reached at 3.38pm yesterday.
Speaking before readings for the previous 24-hour period were taken, at 10am today, the attraction’s director Professor Beverley Glover said she had hoped the record would not be broken.
‘Recording these high UK temperatures services is a serious reminder that we all need to be taking climate change and its impacts seriously,’ she said. Peak temperatures for today will be confirmed at 10am tomorrow.
It comes as a 14-year-old boy is missing and believed to have drowned yesterday afternoon after getting into difficulty in the Thames in Richmond, west London.
The teenager was seen entering the water at Tagg’s Island in Hampton and, after a search took place, he was presumed dead, with officers calling the incident a ‘tragedy’.
Emergency services and the Government have reiterated urgent warnings about the dangers of trying to keep cool after several tragedies in waterways and reservoirs during the heatwave.
It came as the family of 13-year-old Robert Hattersley said they were ‘absolutely devastated’ after he died when he got into trouble in the River Tyne in Northumberland on Sunday.
Emergency services also confirmed the deaths of a 16-year-old boy in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, a 16-year-old boy in Bray Lake near Maidenhead, Berkshire, and a 50-year-old man in a reservoir near Leeds in similar circumstances.
Siobhan Murphy, a lifeguard supervisor in Sefton, Merseyside, said they have been ‘extremely busy’ in recent days and advised people not to swim anywhere apart from beaches where lifeguards are present.
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
Sun scorched grass seen on what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far at Blackheath in South East London today
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
Trains in sidings at Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as many services are cancelled amid mass rail disruption
Early morning paddleboarders at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
A temperature of more than 30C is recorded on the Jubilee line in London this morning as commuters travel to work
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
Commuters and joggers cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures as the heatwave continues
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
The skyline of the City of London during sunrise this morning amid what is set to be the hottest UK day on record
Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Speaking at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, she said: ‘We recommend that you always go to a lifeguarded beach. The lifeguards are there to keep you safe, and we recommend that you swim between the red and yellow flags.
‘It’s the safest place to swim, there are no hazards there and the lifeguards are always watching that area.’
Hazards include a fast incoming tide and cold water shock which can affect swimmers of all abilities, she said.
She added: ‘Around the UK the water is always cold, no matter how warm it is outside, like on a day like today, so we recommend that if you do fall into cold water that you float on your back like a starfish and allow that cold water shock to pass. It has been proven to save lives.’
There have been warnings of pressures on hospitals from the extreme temperatures, and concerns ambulance services would face rising numbers of calls as the heat peaks on Tuesday afternoon.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a level 4 heat-health alert – described as an ’emergency’ – and the UK is under its first red extreme heat warning for a large part of England, issued by the Met Office.
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
A near-empty ice cream freezer at a Lidl store in Clevedon, Somerset, today as the UK is set for another day of hot weather
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes
Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes
Sun scorched grass seen on what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far at Blackheath in South East London today
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they wait for a train at London Bridge station
The sun rises on a warm early morning over the countryside at Dunsden in Oxfordshire today
Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground
The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes
Commuters wait for the doors to close on board the sweltering Jubilee line this morning on the London Underground
The sun rises behind the Canary Wharf skyline in East London today on what is set to be the hottest UK day on record
The sun rises over blades of grass in London today as Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record
The sun rises over the Canary Wharf skyline in East London today as Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record
The sun rises from behind an apartment block in East London today amid what is set to be the hottest UK day on record
The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for between 1pm and 9pm tomorrow across the South East of England
Britons have been urged to stay inside during the hottest period of the day, between 11am and 4pm, and wear sun cream, a hat, stay in the shade and keep hydrated with water – and there are warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
While the extreme heat will continue today, a band of rain will bring an end to the sweltering conditions tomorrow.
But Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: ‘I’ve been a qualified meteorologist for ten years, and telling people about 41C in the UK doesn’t seem real.’
In Scotland, Holyrood minister Keith Brown urged people ‘to think about whether they need to travel and, if they do, make sure they’re properly equipped and plan their journey in advance’.
The rising temperatures have brought disruption to parts of Scotland’s transport system, with overhead wires tripping and resetting due to the heat between Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Hyndland.
Mr Brown, Justice Secretary and lead minister for resilience at Holyrood, said the Scottish Government is ‘receiving regular updates from partners including Transport Scotland, the Met Office, the NHS and emergency services and we’ll continue to closely monitor developments’.
‘When temperatures increase, it’s important to monitor forecasts and follow public health advice, including staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding excess alcohol,’ he said.
‘People should also look out for vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, as older people, those with underlying conditions and those living alone may struggle to keep cool and hydrated.’
Scottish Water has asked people to be as efficient with their water as possible, and urged them to use watering cans rather than hoses in gardens, not to fill up paddling pools and to take shorter showers.
The request came after the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency issued a water scarcity warning on Sunday.
It said in the east of Scotland, areas such as the Dee, Firth of Forth, Almond and Tyne catchment areas have been raised to moderate scarcity, which means businesses that extract water from the areas should do so only ‘if absolutely necessary’.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has warned that the wildfire risk in southern and eastern parts of Scotland has risen to ‘very high’.
It said that, in prolonged periods of high temperatures, the risk of wildfires breaking out increases.
SFRS Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Bruce Farquharson said: ‘At this time of year, the ground vegetation is a combination of green growth, with a relatively high moisture content, and dead vegetation lying on top, which can easily ignite and spread quickly over a large area.’
He added: ‘During the next few days, I would urge the public to avoid lighting fires outdoors but, if you must, check for restrictions or permissions required by the landowner and make sure you use a fire safe pit or container that can be properly extinguished before you leave.
‘We need people to be aware of how quickly things can get out of hand – the smallest outdoor ignition can spread rapidly and burn for days. Therefore, we are asking people to act responsibly when enjoying the outdoors and please think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.’
Residents ‘relieved’ as Cornwall is hit by lightning and showers amid heatwave
Thunder, lightning and downpours were met with relief by Cornwall residents as temperatures surged across the rest of the UK.
As temperatures passed 40C for the first time in the UK, storms cooled Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures in the low 20s in Penzance today.
Lucy McRobert, communications manager for the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, said she first heard the ‘rumblings’ of thunder and lightning at around 5.30am.
A couple shelter from the rain while they change after an early morning sea swim at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth today
‘(It peaked) between 6.30 and 7am (and was) tracking up from the Bay of Biscay through the night,’ the 31-year-old said. ‘I don’t think we’ve ever been so relieved to see the sky go black and the rain start pouring.’
Ms McRobert added that the area’s wildlife and community are dependent on the rain and some species have been struggling. ‘Our heathland habitats, our freshwater pools and most importantly our farmland will all be feeling very grateful,’ she said.
The Met Office reported a high of 34.2C in Cornwall yesterday, but Will James, 40, an associate director from Redruth, said the thunder was ‘certainly not a surprise’.
‘I’ve learnt to always expect the unexpected in Cornwall. And to take forecasts with a pinch of salt,’ the 40-year-old said.
A couple cover the heads in the rain following an early morning sea swim at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth today
Mr James tweeted two photos of the view from Redruth towards the hills of Four Lanes and Carn Brea, taken around an hour and a half apart, showing how quickly the weather changed.
The first photo, taken at roughly 8.10am, showed a bolt of lightning coming from thick clouds, while the other, taken at 9.30am, was of a mostly blue sky.
‘That’s Cornwall weather for you,’ said Mr James. ‘It feels a lot fresher and less muggy now after the storms. It’s nice to know I won’t have to water the plants now.’
Other regions in Cornwall that experienced thunder and lightning included The Lizard peninsula, in the south, and Mount’s Bay, Penzance, and many social media users shared footage of forked lightning striking off the coast.
Twitter user @GoodbyJeff jokingly posted: ‘So how’s the #deathwave #Heatwave2022 going for us in Sunny Cornwall this morning?’
Police smash window of £25,000 electric Hyundai to save dog trapped inside: Officers break into car in Leicester Square as they freed three pets in separate incidents across London during 38C heatwave
- Exasperated officers have doubled down on warnings to dog owners today
- Footage showed police smashing the window of vehicle in Leicester Square
- Officers also vented fury after a dog left trapped outside RAF Museum, Hendon
- And police were also called to dog locked inside a vehicle at Battersea Park
By Jamie Phillips For MailOnline
Police smashed the window of a £25,000 electric Hyundai to save a dog trapped in sweltering conditions inside – as officers say they freed three pets in separate incidents across London.
Exasperated officers have today doubled down on warnings to the public after they were forced to break into the vehicles during the heatwave yesterday, urging owners to avoid taking pets out in the heat.
In one such incident yesterday, footage showed officers having to intervene after a member of the public spotted a trapped dog inside a Hyundai on Oxendon Street.
Concerned bystandersalerted had earlier alerted police and were informed that, if the dog was still panting in the next five to ten minutes, they could smash the window.
But officers arrived within minutes, attempting to use batons and a hammer to break the glass before resorting to a car window breaker to get inside the vehicle.
John Thompson, 35, spotted the dog along with other bystanders and caught the moment police arrived to free the animal.
He said: ‘I was just immediately scared for the dog and thought “come on, it’s the hottest day of the year”.
‘The dog was panting on the passenger seat and then moved down to where the pedals are because it was cooler at the bottom.’
Mr Thompson added: ‘Two people from the theatre next to the car had spotted it as well and somebody else in a van said they had been watching it for about ten minutes.
‘One of the people from the theatre called 999 and the call handler said if it was still there and panting in the next five to ten minutes then they could smash the window.
‘They went back into the theatre and came back with a hammer and by that point it had been fifteen minutes – someone said it takes fifteen minutes for a dog to succumb to heatstroke.
‘They were just about to smash the glass when the police turned up – they checked the air con which wasn’t on and then tried to smash it with a baton and the hammer which just bounced off but after using a little glass breaker it smashed immediately.
Police were forced to smash a car window in central London to save a dog amid scorching heat in central London
An officer stands inside the driver’s door of the car with glass shattered over the pavement after having to break inside
The dog was seen by members of the public sitting on the front passenger seat amid the heatwave
Police smashed the window of a car in Leicester Square, central London, to rescue a dog from the heat yesterday
The footage showed officers speaking to what appeared to be the pet’s owners, with glass scattered across the pavement
The dog was rescued from the car, allegedly after an hour inside, and given a small tub of water to drink from
Police were also called to reports of a dog being locked inside of a vehicle at a car park at Battersea Park
‘The owner turned up. They argued back and forth for ten minutes or so until the police took the dog and put it in the back of their car with the air-con on.
‘The woman was really upset because she thought they were taking the dog but the police returned the dog and they left in their car with one window smashed.’
A spokesperson for The Metropolitan Police said: ‘At 6.16pm on Monday police were alerted by a concerned member of the public to a dog inside a car with the windows closed in Oxendon Street, SW1.
‘The dog, which had allegedly been in the car for some time, appeared to be suffering in the heat.
‘Officers attended and broke a window to gain entry to the dog and the owners of the car were spoken to and their details taken.
‘The dog appeared in good health once it had been released from the car.’
Elsewhere, officers took to Twitter to vent their fury when they had to smash their way into a car parked outside the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London, after another dog was left trapped inside.
The exterior temperature at the time of the rescue was 31.5C.
Barnet MPS tweeted: ‘Unbelievably, our officers have just had to smash the window of a vehicle to get a dog out at the RAF museum Hendon. 31.5 degrees!
‘JUST DON’T TAKE DOGS OUT IN THIS HEAT.’
And police were also called to reports of a dog being locked inside of a vehicle at a car park at Battersea Park yesterday.
Members of the public called 999 after the pooch was spotted inside a black Mercedes minivan without any of its window open, MyLondon reports.
Witnesses said nobody claimed the car as their own and the dog had been inside for around an hour before police took the decision to smash their way inside.
The dog was eventually reunited with its owners around two hours later.
RSPCA guidance states that dogs should never be left in ‘hot cars, conservatories, outbuildings or caravans on a warm day’.
It adds that temperatures of 22C outside can ‘quickly rise to 47C’, which can be fatal for dogs’.
Temperatures peaked in the UK at 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday, making it the hottest day of 2022 and the third hottest on record, after 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019 and 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003.
It means temperatures, particularly inside vehicles, will have soared to dangerous levels.
The RSPCA adds: ‘If the dog’s condition is critical, and the police haven’t arrived yet, your instinct will be to break into the car to free them.
‘But please be aware that this could be classed as criminal damage. You may need to defend your actions in court, so please be sure you’re doing the right thing.
‘Legally, you can commit damage if you believe the car owner would consent to it if they knew the dog was in danger.
‘If you’re sure you need to free the dog, tell the police what you intend to do and why. Take photos or videos of the dog. Are there any other witnesses? Take their names and telephone numbers.’
