Merseyrail has issued a travel warning as temperatures are forecast to reach 33°C on Tuesday, June 23, with the Met Office predicting highs of 38°C on Thursday. The train operator announced that Network Rail has implemented speed restrictions on the Headbolt Lane line due to the extreme heat, affecting services from Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26.
As a result, trains on the affected line will run every 30 minutes from the start to the end of service during this period. In a statement, Merseyrail apologised: "We apologise to our customers for the short notice change and any inconvenience this will cause. We are working closely with Network Rail to resolve the fault as quickly as possible."
Amber Heat Warning and Health Alerts
The Met Office has issued an amber heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday for Merseyside. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued separate amber heat health alerts covering most of England from Monday morning until Friday night. A yellow heat alert is in place for north-east England during the same period. The alerting system provides early warning when adverse temperatures are likely to impact public health and wellbeing.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said: "The forecast heatwave is developing into an impactful severe weather event, with record breaking June temperatures and very high humidity. The combination of heat and humidity will be oppressive and bring impacts across society from public health and infrastructure, to power and water supplies."
Record-Breaking Temperatures Expected
Mr Crabtree added: "As well as very high daytime temperatures, there will be consecutive nights where temperatures do not drop below 20°C, which is called a Tropical Night. This will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating the heat stress impacts."
It is now likely that the current highest temperature on record for June will be broken, which is 35.6°C recorded in Southampton in June 1976 and Camden Square in June 1957. The Met Office has warned of population-wide adverse health effects, substantial changes in working practices, failure of heat-sensitive systems, increased risk of water safety incidents, and delays on roads and rail travel.
Public Health Advice
People are advised to drink plenty of fluids, keep out of the sun, and avoid exercise between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest.
