Online climate change sceptics abused UK meteorologists as they forecast this month's soaring temperatures that scorched the country and elsewhere in Europe.
Record temperatures — that exceeded 40°C in England — severely disrupted rail services and started numerous fires, including one that burnt down homes in London.
But critics accused forecasters of fearmongering and unnecessarily scaling up heat warnings.
BBC weather forecasters were among those in the firing line, with one saying the tone of abuse is becoming more intense.
Staff from UK national weather service the Met Office also suffered online attacks as they spread the message about rising temperatures.
“It's a more abusive tone than I've ever received. I switched off a bit from it all as it became too depressing to read some of the responses,” said BBC meteorologist matte Taylor.
Fellow BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker said: “What frustrates me most is when I'm accused of twisting the truth. As meteorologists, we report facts. There is no conspiracy.”
Members of the Royal Meteorological Society — founded in 1850 to promote academic and public engagement in weather and climate science — said they faced “public ridicule, accusations of lying or suggestions of being blackmailed”.
“Anecdotally, abusive comments increase when the message about climate change is intrinsic to the story,” chief executive Professor Liz Bentley said.
One sceptic alleged the real reason for the hot weather was an “aircraft dispersing substances that blocked the sun”.
Met Office lead meteorologist Alex Deakin hit back: “I find it more frustrating and offensive for my colleagues — some of the great minds in climate science.
“Show a bit of respect and do a bit more research rather than just believe Bob down the pub or Tony on YouTube.”
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People basking in the sun on a crowded Brighton beach. The temperature in Britain smashed through the 40ºC barrier for the first time in recorded history. PA -
A man dives into the Serpentine Lake to cool off in Hyde Park, west London. AFP -
Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire, near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters -
A tourist wears a hat to shield herself from the sun on Westminster Bridge in central London. AP -
A man cools off at Trafalgar Square, central London. Reuters -
Firefighters respond to a large wildfire in woodland at Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of Birmingham. PA -
A railway worker hands out bottles of water to passengers at London's King's Cross, where there are train cancellations due to the heat. AP -
Firefighters control a grass fire in Ravenswood, Suffolk. PA -
Train tracks are painted white to help with the heat at Alexandra Palace train station in London. PA -
Deer rest in the shade at London's Richmond Park. Reuters -
An empty freezer section at Sainsbury's Nine Elms in London. PA -
Chippy the chimpanzee enjoys an ice treat at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, near Stirling. AP -
A student dips her head into the fountain at Trafalgar Square, London. Getty Images -
People turn out to watch the sunrise on Tuesday morning at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside. PA -
A digital thermometer displaying a temperature of 39°C on a London Underground train. PA -
A fan finds a way to keep cool while watching the Women's Euro 2022 football match between Italy and Belgium at Manchester City Academy Stadium. AP -
An aerial view shows swimmers at Hathersage Swimming Pool, west of Sheffield in northern England. AFP -
Traffic crosses a bridge at Woodhead Resevoir in West Yorkshire as water levels dip dangerously low. AP -
A man leaps from the top of a tree into the River Cam, in Cambridge. Getty Images -
A packed Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth. Getty Images -
A police officer gives water to a sentry in heavy ceremonial uniform, outside Buckingham Palace in central London. AP -
A man cools off in a fountain in London. Reuters -
A man sunbathes at the harbour in Mousehole, Cornwall. AP -
People swim in the River Wye. Reuters -
Passengers feel the heat on the London Underground. The operator advised its customers not to use the metro during the worst of the heatwave. AP -
Palm House supervisor Will Spolestra waters the plants at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, west London, where temperatures inside the greenhouses are cooler than outside during the heatwave. PA -
Dry grass at Greenwich Park, south-east London. AP -
A swimmer takes an early morning dip in the cool water of Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge, eastern England. Getty Images -
Assistant horticulturalist Katie Martyr checks the temperature at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Forecasts are for record temperatures exceeding 40°C. Getty Images -
Bathers keep cool in a tidal pool at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall, south-west England. Reuters -
Message boards at London's Victoria Station warn passengers of potential disruption to train services due to the extreme heat. AFP -
Zorro the police horse drinks water from a bucket to cool down during hot weather, on Whitehall in London. Reuters -
People use a map to shelter from the sun outside Buckingham Palace in London. Reuters -
A cyclist rides through Richmond Park in south-west London at sunrise on Monday. Reuters -
The reduced water level at Weir Wood reservoir, near Crawley, south-east England. The UK's Met Office has issued its first 'red warning' for exceptional heat. AFP -
A crowded beach at Joss Bay in Broadstairs, south-east England. Reuters -
Swimmers take the plunge to escape the heat in east London. Reuters -
Sunbathers on the parched grass in Greenwich Park, south-east London. AP -
A sign advises people not to travel on the London Underground during the heatwave. EPA
The Met Office has verified the new UK temperature record of 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, seen on July 19 during the heatwave.
New records were also confirmed for Wales of 37.1°C at Hawarden Airport, Flintshire, on July 18, and Scotland with 34.8°C at Charterhall, in the Borders, on July 19.
A team of international scientists found human-caused climate change made these record-breaking heatwave at least 10 times more likely.
The 10-fold increase is a conservative estimate, the researchers from the World Weather Attribution initiative said.
Mariam Zachariah, from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, said: “Even with a conservative estimate, we see a large role of climate change in the UK heatwave.
“Under our current climate that has been altered by greenhouse gas emissions, many people are experiencing events during their lifetime that would have been almost impossible otherwise.”
The team added that while the searing heat, which saw temperatures peak above 40°C for the first time in the UK, is still a very rare occurrence in today’s climate, it would be “almost impossible” without global warming.
