Britain heatwave: Luton tarmac melts as record temperatures loom

Transport chaos engulfs England as the nation swelters through heatwave conditions, with predictions of even hotter temperatures to come.

People gather on Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, England as temperatures inch close to 40 degrees. Picture: Getty Images

Britain sweltered in record breaking hot weather on Monday, with meteorologists warning of even higher overnight temperatures and conditions on Tuesday.

Across the United Kingdom there was extensive transport chaos as long service trains were cancelled, schools shut and hospital surgeries postponed.

Flights at Luton were delayed and diverted because parts of the tarmac had melted. But the predicted weather-Armageddon failed to eventuate, with the hottest temperature in London being 37.4C at Kew Gardens at 3pm. In Cavendish, Suffolk, it hit 37.5C.

Commuters wait for their train on a platform at West Norwood station in south London on amid disruption warnings over extreme heat. Picture: AFP

The highest temperature in Wales was at Hawarden in Flintshire, in northeast Wales which rose to 37.1C, beating the previous high of 35.3C at Gogerddan, Aberystwyth.

However, the Met Office says London’s record temperature of 38.1C at Heathrow Airport in 2003 is tipped to be broken on Tuesday in a second day of the extreme heat.

An emergency government Cobra meeting at Downing Street, which current British prime minister Boris Johnson did not attend, was told the temperatures would be worse on Tuesday before some relief on Wednesday.

On Monday, the first day of the school holidays, four people drowned after getting into difficulties in reservoirs and rivers, including a 16-year-old boy at Maidenhead, west of London.

A man leaps from the very top of a tree into the River Cam in Cambridge, England overnight. Picture: Getty Images

In Westminster, the speaker of the house ruled that parliamentarians could dress without a jacket and tie for the rest of the week. At Lords where a county cricket match was being held, members could take off their jackets, but a tie was still required.

Over at the air force base at Brize Norton, the tarmac had begun to melt, resulting in a short adjustment in air traffic.

Those that could get on the few trains that were running across the country faced hours-long delays, sudden mid-route terminations and crowded standing room-only carriages with failing airconditioning.

Amid the advice for people to stay in the shade and drink water, the BBC told readers they should put their sheets and socks in the freezer before putting them on for bed.

This is a country that is already on edge, with poorly-ventilated buildings and services not prepared for the heat, and adds to the significant stress caused by the summer of discontent strikes, disrupted food chains and spiralling energy costs.