June temperature records broken in UK for third day in row as heatwave continues

Catherine Wylie, Press Association

A new record high temperature has been set for June for the third day in a row as sweltering heat scorches the UK.

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 36.9C recorded in Wattisham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C 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 36C in London and 35C in Manchester on Friday, with Belfast and Cardiff looking at potential highs of 26C.

Schools and nurseries have been forced to close and a hosepipe ban has been brought in for 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 number of life-threatening emergencies ever 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, Mr Harman has told people to drink alcohol responsibly, drinking “plenty of water” in between alcoholic beverages.

He told the Press Association it is not just the elderly and people with underlying health conditions affected by the heat, adding: “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.”

LAS on Wednesday saw a 50% increase in life-threatening emergency calls compared with a typical Wednesday in June, with the number of cardiac arrests up 30%.