A new record high temperature for June was set in the UK for the third consecutive day on Friday, as the heatwave continued to scorch the country. The Met Office confirmed a provisional temperature of 36.9C recorded in Wattisham, Suffolk, surpassing the previous day's high of 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset.
Health Services Under Strain
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to its highest number of life-threatening emergencies ever on Wednesday, with a 50% increase in such calls compared to a typical Wednesday in June. Cardiac arrests rose by 30%. Chief operating officer Craig Harman said he expects demand to grow day on day over the next few days. He urged football fans to drink alcohol responsibly and consume plenty of water.
Several hospitals declared critical incidents, including University Hospital Southampton, which cancelled planned operations and outpatient appointments. Dr Hilary Williams, clinical vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the heat exposes poor infrastructure, with many hospitals unable to cope with extreme temperatures. She reported elderly care wards exceeding 30C and critical machinery such as MRI scanners failing due to heat.
School Closures and Travel Disruption
At least 571 schools fully or partially closed across multiple counties, including Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. A hosepipe ban was introduced in Kent due to surging demand. Network Rail urged passengers to avoid non-essential travel across much of England, with services in red and amber zones only for essential journeys. The M5 was closed in both directions between J22 and J23 in Somerset due to a National Grid infrastructure fault, causing two-hour delays. Sheffield's tram network was suspended on Friday afternoon.
Tourist attractions such as Stonehenge moved last entry times forward for safety, and Marwell Zoo in Hampshire closed completely. Courts were affected, with Bristol Crown Court cells closed due to heat and defendants moved to a cooler location. Sentencing for a firearms conspiracy at Harrow Crown Court was postponed because the dock was too hot.
Wildfires and Water Incidents
Firefighters from Derbyshire and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service continued to tackle a wildfire on Tintwistle Moor in Glossop, affecting about 200 hectares. A teenage boy's body was recovered from Meynell Lake in Syston, Leicestershire, after he entered the water on Thursday. A 50-year-old man died after entering the water at Aberavon beach in Wales on Wednesday.
Energy and Weather Warnings
The National Energy System Operator issued an electricity margin notice for Friday evening, indicating possible supply squeeze. The Met Office extended its red warning until 9pm Friday for London and parts of east and southeast England, covering Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and Kent. An amber warning was in place for a wider area until midnight. Yellow thunderstorm warnings applied to Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Thermal camera images from Greenpeace UK showed surface temperatures in London reaching 50C to 60C on pavements, rail platforms, and playgrounds. Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said eastern England would see the highest temperatures on Friday but conditions would finally cool down over the weekend. The heatwave is driven by a heat-dome over western Europe, with human-caused climate change making such events more frequent and intense.
