London pavements have reached scorching temperatures of up to 57°C, with some locations exceeding 65°C, according to tests conducted by Greenpeace UK. The capital is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave, with air temperatures around 35°C between buildings, creating a 'sticky, sizzling cauldron' that poses serious health risks.
Greenpeace Temperature Measurements Across London
Greenpeace measured surface temperatures at several key locations on Wednesday. Regent Street recorded 57°C, while Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus reached 56°C. An Overground platform at Highbury and Islington hit 62°C, and the plaza outside King's Cross station reached 54°C. A roadworks site in Holborn measured a staggering 65°C. The pavement on Gray's Inn Road was 59°C, and an Islington playground peaked at 53°C in the late afternoon. Even inside a Victoria line carriage, the floor temperature reached 40°C.
Public Health Emergency Declared
Greenpeace UK's head of climate, Mel Evans, described the situation as a public health emergency. 'This record-smashing heatwave has turned London into a sticky, sizzling cauldron. This isn't just weather – it's a public health emergency driven by fossil fuel giants and their planet-heating emissions,' she said. Evans called on the government to implement a proper extreme heat plan, including cooler homes and schools, safe limits for workers, more shade and green spaces, and protection for the most vulnerable. 'Political leaders must also stop fossil fuel companies from turning up the heat on our planet – and make them pay their fair share to fix the problem they've caused,' she added.
London Mayor Warns City Not Equipped
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Metro that the city is 'not equipped to deal with frequent and extreme heat waves' as he unveiled the capital's heat plan. The Met Office has warned that temperatures reaching 45°C in the UK is a 'plausible' scenario by 2056. Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, the Met Office's chief scientist, said: 'Human induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense. To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.'
Future Projections and Urgent Action Needed
Experts warn that extreme temperatures like those seen this week could become the new norm. The Met Office projects that there could be nine consecutive days where temperatures exceed 40°C somewhere in the UK in a few decades, forcing major changes and mitigation. The heatwave has already caused disruptions, with central London grinding to a halt after a fatal incident on Victoria Embankment, and an extreme heat conference in London being cancelled. Greenpeace's Evans stressed that adaptation alone is not enough, calling for an end to fossil fuel reliance.
