LAST UPDATE | 19 Jul 2022
LONDON FIRE BRIGADE has declared a major incident due to “a huge surge” in blazes across the capital amid 40°C heat.
It comes after around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the village of Wennington in east London on Tuesday afternoon, with television footage showing black smoke billowing into the air, with buildings and fields on fire.
The fire brigade said in a statement it is battling “several significant” incidents in the capital, as people have been urged not to have barbecues or bonfires due to the “unprecedented” challenges crews face.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said LFB is under “immense pressure”.
The UK has provisionally recorded its hottest temperature since records began, with the mercury reaching 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
The Met Office has forecasted possible highs of 41 in isolated areas today, making the UK hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados – with rail users warned of delays, cancellations and changes to train services.
Interim deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin, said the heatwave was impacting urgent and emergency care and some planned care.
She said: “Across the country we are seeing hospitals having to scale back the number of planned surgeries as operating theatres are too hot.
She said staff have swapped formal uniforms for cooler scrubs, while in some places those who are not frontline workers have been given the option to work from home, and hospital kitchens are making ice lollies for staff and patients.
There were 90,592 visits to the heat exhaustion and heatstroke section of the NHS website on Monday, as temperatures soared, equivalent to around 63 visits every minute.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms over much of the South East and eastern England which may bring disruption during Wednesday afternoon, as temperatures drop from their current searing highs.
Rachel Ayers, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency today would be a “pretty unprecedented day”.
Scotland and Wales could also see their hottest days on record.
Most rail routes across England and Wales will be affected by the hot weather today, according to National Rail, with customers told only to travel if “absolutely necessary”.
Network Rail said: “There will be delays, cancellations and last-minute changes to train services due to the unprecedented record heat on those days.”
Ayers added: “There are likely to be delays on roads, with road closures, as well as possible delays and cancellations to trains and maybe issues with air travel.
“This could pose a significant health risk to those stuck on services or roads during the heat.”
Transport for London (TfL) said London’s rail network would also be running a reduced service today due to safety restrictions put into place to deal with the heat.
Elsewhere, council gritters were on stand-by to spread light dustings of sand on melting roads.
The RAC anticipated that the number of vehicle breakdowns on Monday and Tuesday could be up to a fifth higher than normal.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has a high pollution alert in place in the eastern parts of England and the East Midlands, meaning EU ozone pollution thresholds have been exceeded.
Emergency services and the Government have reiterated urgent warnings about the dangers of trying to keep cool after several tragedies in waterways and reservoirs during the heatwave.
There have been warnings of pressures on hospitals from the extreme temperatures, and concerns ambulance services would face rising numbers of calls as the heat peaks on Tuesday afternoon.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a level 4 heat-health alert – described as an “emergency” – and the UK is under its first red extreme heat warning for a large part of England, issued by the Met Office.
People have been urged to stay inside during the hottest period of the day, between 11am and 4pm, and wear sun cream, a hat, stay in the shade and keep hydrated with water – and there are warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
There are also warnings of wildfires, with people asked not to use barbecues or leave litter that could spark fires in the countryside – while zoos and wildlife parks were closed to protect animals, staff and visitors.
Water companies have been experiencing “unprecedented peak demand”, with people encouraged to “carefully consider” their water usage and urged not to waste it.
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