The London Ambulance Service (LAS) has issued a warning for people to drink responsibly and stay hydrated as a severe heatwave pushes temperatures to record-breaking June highs across the UK. The service reported its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies on Wednesday and expects demand to continue rising.
Record Temperatures and Emergency Response
The Met Office confirmed a provisional 36.7°C in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday, making it the UK’s hottest June day on record. On Friday, temperatures could reach 36°C in London, 35°C in Manchester, and 26°C in Belfast and Cardiff. Schools and nurseries have closed, a hosepipe ban is in force in Kent due to surging demand, and thermal camera footage showed pavement and train platform temperatures as high as 62°C in London.
LAS Chief Operating Officer Craig Harman stated that the service responded to its highest number of life-threatening emergencies ever on Wednesday. He said, “We expect demand to grow day on day over the next couple of days.” As football fans prepare to cheer for England during Saturday’s FIFA World Cup game, Harman urged people to drink “plenty of water” in between alcoholic beverages.
Health Warnings and Hospital Impacts
Harman emphasized that the heat affects not only the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. “I’m saying to people I need you to drink water even when you’re not thirsty, staying out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, and particularly not exercising outside and putting your body under additional heat and strain,” he said.
LAS saw a 50% increase in life-threatening emergency calls compared to a typical Wednesday in June, with cardiac arrests up 30%. LAS Chief Executive Jason Killens told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “To coin a phrase, we’ve thrown the kitchen sink at this week. All non-essential training, non-essential meetings, have been cancelled. Clinical colleagues who aren’t routinely deployed on the front line have been deployed back on the front line.”
Several hospitals declared critical incidents, including University Hospital Southampton, which cancelled planned operations and outpatient appointments. Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also declared critical incidents on Wednesday.
Transport Disruptions and Wildfires
Transport services have been disrupted, with one rail operator urging people not to travel for beach trips due to the extreme heat. A 50-year-old man from Cilfrew, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, died after entering the water at Aberavon beach on Wednesday. Firefighters in Derbyshire continued battling a 500-square-metre wildfire on Tintwistle Moor.
The heatwave is driven by a “heat dome,” an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat, settling over western Europe. Human-driven climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.
Weather Warnings and Forecast
The Met Office extended its red warning until 9pm on Friday for London and parts of east and southeast England, including Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and Kent. This is the first time it has issued red heat warnings over three consecutive days. An amber heat warning is in place for a wider area on Friday, covering the East Midlands, East of England, northwest England, southwest England, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humber. Swathes of Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland face yellow warnings for thunderstorms on Friday.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said eastern England is expected to see the highest temperatures on Friday, but things will “finally cool down this weekend.” Wales saw its hottest June day on record on Thursday with 35.9°C in Cardiff, while Northern Ireland matched its previous June record high with 30.8°C in Castlederg.
