LONDON, England: A new record-high June temperature has been set for the third consecutive day as sweltering heat scorches the United Kingdom (UK), reported PA Media/dpa.
The Met Office warned temperatures are still rising as Friday was confirmed to be the UK’s hottest June day on record with a provisional temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius recorded in Wattisham, Suffolk, surpassing the previous high of 36.7 degrees recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday.
The latest record comes as health chiefs warn of the impact the heatwave is having on services, as they face significantly more life-threatening emergency calls.
Rare red warnings remain in place on Friday with forecasters expecting temperatures to reach as high as 36 degrees in London and 35 degrees in Manchester on Friday, with Belfast and Cardiff looking at potential highs of 26 degrees.
Schools and nurseries have been forced to close, and a hosepipe ban has been introduced in Kent amid surging demand.
Several hospitals have declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to its highest-ever number of life-threatening emergencies on Wednesday, and its chief operating officer, Craig Harman, said he expects “demand to grow day on day over the next couple of days”.
As football fans prepare to cheer on England in Saturday’s World Cup game, Harman has urged people to drink alcohol responsibly and to drink “plenty of water” between alcoholic beverages.
He told the Press Association that it is not just the elderly and people with underlying health conditions who are affected by the heat, adding: “I’m saying to people I need you to drink water even when you’re not thirsty, stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, and particularly not exercise outside and put your body under additional heat and strain.”
LAS on Wednesday 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. – BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa
