By Rob Harris
London: The Great British Heatwave has officially arrived, and it’s not so much a summer as it is a state of national disbelief.
With an amber heat health alert in place until Monday and thermometers nudging 34 degrees, the country famous for queuing in drizzle is now lining up in “flip-flops” for ice-cream, often shirtless, and sometimes with questionable sun hats.
Across the country, people are streaming to beaches, stripping off in parks, and pretending not to wilt on the Tube, while declaring loudly, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
The UK Health Security Agency activated the five-day amber alert from Thursday night AEST, warning of a potential “rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions”.
Health and social care services are bracing for “significant impacts”, including increased demand for power and heat-related disruptions to workforce productivity.
Welcome to the new British summer – like the old one, but now with ultraviolet radiation warnings and “tropical nights” where the temperature might not fall below 20 degrees.
The beaches are winning. Trains and tubes? Less so.Credit: Getty Images
The Met Office, the UK’s weather bureau, has already recorded 30.1 degrees in London’s St James’s Park – the hottest day of the year so far. By Saturday, forecasters say the mercury could match or exceed the June record of 35.6 degrees, set in 1976. In other words: “This is not normal.”
With the heat rising and tempers fraying, office workers are abandoning commutes for conservatories. One wag summed it up: “Working from the garden today.”
And annual leave? Soaring. HR experts say they’re expecting the number of requests to escalate, with sick leave also suspiciously spiking. During the last hot spell, leave requests jumped 42 per cent – and it’s happening again.
Train platforms are sizzling, and the London Underground offers a free sauna experience to morning commuters.
Road data shows traffic flooding out of cities and toward the coast. London’s congestion levels hit 71 per cent – up from the usual 52 – as Brits swapped spreadsheets for sandcastles. Bournemouth, Brighton and Southend saw congestion spike by more than 20 per cent. The beaches are winning. Trains and tubes? Less so.
Supermarkets have become sanctuaries, with one shopper reportedly taking refuge in the frozen food aisle. “It was just so … peaceful,” she told talkback radio.
It’s not just people overheating. Dog shows have been cancelled in Norfolk and Suffolk because of health risks, while the London Fire Brigade is pleading for people to ditch disposable barbecues.
Racegoers sheltering from the warm weather under umbrellas at Royal Ascot on Thursday.Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
“With hot weather comes the temptation to host barbecues,” assistant commissioner Pamela Oparaocha said, “but the dry weather means fires can spread more easily.”
And after one of the driest springs on record, Britain’s fields are baking. Crops are wilting, livestock are stressed, and there’s concern for long-term food supply.
“The ongoing heatwave … is putting real pressure on farms,” said Martin Lines, head of the Nature Friendly Farming Network.
With temperatures staying above 20 degrees overnight, it’s not just sunburn that’s a concern.
A sunbather enjoys the heat in St James’ Park.Credit: Getty Images
“High temperatures can put extra strain on your heart,” Ruth Goss of the British Heart Foundation told the nation.
Hospitals are under added pressure too, with health leaders warning of “increased demand for power exceeding capacity” and staff unable to work in sweltering conditions.
The Met Office says days like this will become not just common, but catastrophic. “The chance of exceeding 40 degrees has been rapidly increasing,” Dr Gillian Kay said. What was once freakish is now expected: “It is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s.”
New modelling shows that by 2035, there’s a 50 per cent chance of 40 degree days every summer – and highs of 46.6 degrees “are now plausible”.
And yet, amid the warnings and the whirring air-conditioners, there is still a peculiar pride in the pandemonium. And not everyone is panicking. Some are scooping profits.
“We get so excited because this is what we wait for,” Katy Alston, owner of Pinks Parlour in the seaside town of Bognor Regis told the MailOnline. “As fast as we’re making [gelato], we’re selling it. It’s our Christmastime.”
But the sunshine comes with a warning label – one that’s glowing red. Britain may be learning what heat really means. And it’s not just about sunburn and soggy linen shirts any more.
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