UK weather: health alert extended as country braces for extreme heat

Experts say extra vigilance needed for young children, older people and those who have health conditions

Britons are braced for the second heatwave of the summer and four days of sweltering temperatures which experts have warned pose risks to young children, the elderly and those with health conditions.

Like parts of mainland Europe, there have been a series of wildfires in the UK as balmy weather and a lack of rainfall have created conditions for blazes to spread rapidly. Fire services have warned citizens not to light barbecues, fireworks and fire lanterns.

The mercury is forecast to reach 36ºC during the hot spell, which has prompted the UK Health Security Agency to impose a Level 3 health alert for heat covering southern and central England from noon on Thursday to 11pm on Sunday.

Saturday is expected to be the hottest day in the latest heatwave to hit the UK following record-breaking temperatures last month.

Thames Water, which supplies 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, became the latest water company to announce an imminent hosepipe ban.

“Given the long-term forecast of dry weather and another forecast of very hot temperatures coming this week, we are planning to announce a temporary use ban in the coming weeks,” the water company said.

It urged customers to use only what is essential.

South East Water and Southern Water have already announced hosepipe bans after the driest first half of the year since 1976, during which south-east England has had 144 days with little or no rain.

The threat of hosepipe bans being imposed on millions more households continues.

The Met Office has issued a four-day amber warning for extreme heat in parts of England and Wales for Thursday to Sunday, with temperatures expected to climb to 35ºC or 36ºC in some places.

Delays to travel are possible and there is an increased risk of water accidents and fires as more people head to tourist spots.

Ten engines and about 70 firefighters were called to a grass fire on the M25 in Enfield, north London.

London Fire Brigade said about five hectares of grass and shrub land were alight.

Footage on social media showed flames and thick black smoke near the motorway, where two lanes have been closed, causing congestion as firefighters tackle the blaze.

Another fire broke out on Rushmere Heath, near Ipswich, Suffolk, which has now been completely surrounded by firefighters.

Heatwave in the UK — in pictures

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

Temperatures are not expected to be as extreme as those in July, which smashed records when the mercury climbed above 40ºC in some areas for the first time in the UK.

Climate change is making heatwaves more intense, frequent and likely, with last month’s record temperatures made at least 10 times more likely because of global warming, and “virtually impossible” without it, research shows.

Scientists also say the likelihood of droughts occurring is becoming higher because of climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.

Northend, a village in Oxfordshire, became the first community in the UK to run out of water after Stokenchurch Reservoir ran dry.

Neighbours were forced to rely on deliveries of bottled and tanker water.

Fires break out in UK during heatwave — in pictures

A residential area after a large fire in Wennington, Greater London. Several fires broke out across England as the UK experienced a record-breaking heatwave. Getty Images

Residents look at buildings destroyed by fire in Wennington. Getty

Firefighters tackle a grass fire during the heatwave in Mow Cop, Staffordshire. Reuters

Firefighters in Maltby, after a fire started on scrubland before spreading to outbuildings, fences and homes in South Yorkshire. PA

The scene after a fire at Dartford Marshes. PA

Burnt woodland is seen as smoke rises from the trees following a fire in Blidworth. Getty Images

A car drives towards a fire in East London. Reuters

Burnt woodland in Dartford Heath, England, after a fire on Tuesday. Getty

Smoke columns rise from Dartford, Kent, where a fire erupted earlier in the day. AFP

Smoke rises from Wennington neighbourhood fires in England on Tuesday. Getty

Emergency services tackle a fire on Dartford Heath. Grass fires broke out around the country during an intense heatwave. Getty

People look on as a fire burns in East London. Reuters

A firefighter attends a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters

Smoke pours from a blaze in the village of Wennington, east London. PA

Firefighters hose down a grass fire in Ravenswood in Suffolk. PA

Firefighters rest after attending a gorse bush fire near Zennor in Cornwall. Reuters

A large wildfire in woodland at Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of Birmingham. AP

Smoke from the fire near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters

Burnt woodland alongside a motorway near Dartford Heath. Getty

A firefighter has a drink of water after the major blaze on Dartford Heath. Getty

The dry conditions, combined with last month’s record-breaking heatwave, have depleted rivers, reservoirs and aquifers and dried up soil, hitting agriculture, water supplies and wildlife, and raising the risk of wildfires.

The latest analysis from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology says that until October, river flows are likely to remain exceptionally low in central, southern and eastern England.

Groundwater levels in south England and south Wales will be below normal and exceptionally low in some areas for the next three months, according to the assessment.

Several centimetres of rain on top of what would normally be expected is needed to overcome the dry conditions in parts of southern England.

There was no immediate sign of rain in the latest forecast from the Met Office.

UK heatwave sees highest-ever recorded temperatures — video

“With high pressure dominant this week, any showers this week will be contained to the far north-west, and even here they will be short-lived,” said Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman.

“Further south, which has seen little rain for some time now, it will continue to be dry through the week, providing no relief for parched land, especially in the south-east.”

Temperatures are likely to rise into the low to mid-30s in the next few days in the area covered by the Met Office amber warning.

Outside the warning area, heatwave thresholds ― which are met at different temperatures in different parts of the country ― are still likely to be met for much of the UK.

Temperatures will be widely in the high 20s, with a chance of a few spots having temperatures in the low 30s.

Wildfires hit England as temperatures soar — video

Scotland and Northern Ireland will also have temperatures in the high 20s and could reach official heatwave criteria by Friday.

The Met Office’s index for how severe a fire could become if one were to start is very high for most of England and Wales, and will reach “exceptional” for a large part of England by the weekend.

The National Trust said heatwaves and prolonged spells of dry weather are having a serious effect on landscapes, gardens and wildlife.

Reports from sites the charity cares for show lichen and mosses that normally thrive in the damp atmosphere of rare temperate rainforest in Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor are shrivelling, while heather is struggling to flower on Dunwich's lowland heath in Suffolk.

Wildfires have broken out in beauty spots in Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk.

“We shouldn't be surprised by these temperatures, it's what the science has been saying for decades,” said Keith Jones, national climate change adviser for the National Trust.

“But even with years of planning, some of the effects are stark, and we are still learning of the precise impacts extreme weather events like this can have.

“What we can do, is adapt. At the trust we're taking action to make sure our sites are ready for future changes, from making our landscapes rich in nature, our rivers cooler and our gardens more resilient to helping our buildings cope with excessive heat.”

Much of Europe is also suffering from the effects of sweltering temperatures and drought.

In Switzerland the air force used helicopters to collect water from lakes and deliver it to thousands of thirsty cows grazing on mountain pastures.

In France police have been deployed to patrol streets to ensure residents and businesses are not using water wastefully.

A huge fire broke out in forestland in south-west France, destroying thousands of hectares, officials said on Wednesday.

Drought in Europe — in pictures

Boats are stuck in the dried-up bed of the drought-hit Doubs river on the border with France in Les Brenets, Switzerland. Reuters

People look at the dried-up Saut du Doubs waterfall in Les Brenets, Switzerland. Reuters

Young plants grow in the dried mud of the exposed bed of the Rhine near Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Kaub, Germany. Bloomberg

A cow stands in a dried-out field in Villeneuve-en-Retz, as a record drought hits France. Reuters

Italy's dried-up River Po, which has been suffering from the worst drought in 70 years. Reuters

Sunflowers suffer from the lack of water in Beaumont du Gatinais, France. AP

A farmer pumps water in a river near Wellin, southern Belgium. EPA

Cows graze in drought-stricken fields near Les Brenets, Switzerland. AFP

Cracked earth surrounds a lake with low water levels on a buffalo reserve in Morahalom, Hungary. Bloomberg

An additional 6,000 hectares of pine forest have burnt in the so-called Landiras blaze since Tuesday afternoon, forcing the area to be evacuated, affecting about 3,800 people, Gironde regional officials said.

“The fire is extremely violent and has spread to the Landes department” farther south, home of the Landes de Gascogne regional park, the prefecture said.

No one has been injured in the coastal area, which draws huge summer tourism crowds but 16 houses were destroyed near the village of Belin-Beliet.

Another fire is in the Maine et Loire department in western France, where 650 hectares are scorched and 500 are threatened, according to local authorities.

In Germany, economists said the drought added to the risk of a recession because the low water levels in the Rhine were slowing freight traffic along the country's longest inland waterway.

Previous dry spells knocked between 1 per cent and 1.5 per cent off industrial production, said Dr Nils Jannsen of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.