The inferno returns! Brits swelter in another heatwave just weeks after record 40.3C blast with temperatures set to soar to 36C in weekend with ‘extreme heat’ warning in place
- The high temperatures are likely to affect health, transport and working conditions, meteorologists said
- Water companies are being urged to protect essential supplies heading into a ‘likely very dry autumn’
- The Alzheimer’s Society urges people to regularly check on those with dementia to ensure they’re hydrated
Brits are to swelter in another heatwave this weekend, with temperatures set to reach as high as 36C in some areas.
The Met Office has issued an ‘extreme heat’ warning for large areas of the UK over the coming days as the mercury soars – albeit not quite as high as the record-breaking 40.3C blast experienced last month.
The high temperatures are likely to affect health, transport and working conditions, meteorologists said, as water companies are being urged to protect essential supplies heading into a ‘likely very dry autumn’.
There is also a heat health alert in place from the UK Health Security Agency, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.
The Alzheimer’s Society is urging families and carers to regularly check on people with dementia to ensure they remain hydrated in the heatwave by leaving glasses or jugs of water within easy reach, sharing a drink with them, leaving reminders to drink and providing high water content foods.
Tom Morgan, a meteorologist with the Met Office, said temperatures had reached 30C quite widely across England and Wales on Wednesday.
The latest heatwave was not expected to produce the record-breaking temperatures seen in July, where thermometers climbed above 40C for the first time in the UK, but would still be notable – with some areas getting close to their local or regional records – and lengthy.
‘We’re looking at a pretty extended spell of hot weather, with a good seven days of temperatures of 30C or so in some places,’ Mr Morgan said.
Evie Windridge, 23, and, right, Jessica Palmer, 26, enjoying a day by the sea as summer holiday crowds pack the beach at Bournemouth, Dorset today
Beachgoers flock to Tynemouth Longsands beach in North Tyneside today to enjoy the sunshine and blazing temperatures as another heatwave hits the UK
A lone man on a deckchair on Blackheath today as the temperatures continue to soar across the UK
A water reservoir is seen with low water levels at Walthamstow Wetlands in London. Britain is likely to suffer drought conditions until October as the dry weather continues
West Yorkshire Firefighters tackle a blaze arounds Rothwell, Leeds as a farmer frantically ploughs his field in a big to stop the spread
Large areas of grass have turned yellow due to the dry conditions in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have issused a ‘very high’ risk of wildfires alert across southern and eastern Scotland with long, dry sunny spells expected over the coming days
Beachgoers flock to Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside today to enjoy the sunshine and blazing temperatures as another heatwave hits the UK
It comes as the driest first seven months of the year in decades and hot spells have left parts of the UK facing looming drought, prompting hosepipe bans and warnings about the impact on agriculture, rivers and wildlife.
The latest analysis from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) has warned that low or even exceptionally low river flows and groundwater levels are likely to continue for the next three months in southern England and Wales.
More than three inches of extra rain, in addition to what would normally be expected, is needed to overcome the dry conditions in parts of southern England, but there is no immediate sign of rain in the forecast.
Environment Secretary George Eustice has met with chief executives of water companies, who he said had assured him that water supplies remained resilient across the country.
‘Each company has a pre-agreed drought plan which they are following, and I have urged them to take any precautionary steps needed to protect essential supplies as we go into a likely very dry autumn,’ he said.
Thames Water has had to supply bottled water for residents in the village of Northend in Oxfordshire and pump water into the network, after supplies were disrupted due to what it said was a technical issue at Stokenchurch Reservoir in the county.
The firm later said it had managed to ‘improve the situation’ and all customers in the nearby area should now have water, but it warned pressure could be lower than normal.
It comes after the company, which supplies water to 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, became the latest water firm to signal it will bring in a hosepipe ban in the face of the hot, dry summer.
Three other water companies – South East, Southern and Welsh Water – have announced hosepipe bans for customers in areas they supply.
The Angling Trust has called for water companies to ‘stop dragging their feet’ and implement hosepipe bans in all affected areas and for the Government to declare a drought, as rivers dry up, hitting fish and other wildlife.
Martin Salter, chief policy adviser to the Angling Trust, said: ‘Our rivers are drying up, fish and other wildlife are dying and not just on small streams.
‘Big rivers, like the Thames, are suffering and has now dried up along a five-mile length from its source for the first time ever.
‘And yet right now millions of gallons of scarce water is being wasted keeping golf courses and lawns green rather than helping rivers survive and our wildlife and economy protected.’
The Swanage Railway in Dorset has suspended all steam hauled service on the preserved heritage railway and replaced them with Diesel locomotives due to the high risk of fire during the prolonged drought conditions and current heatwave. A class 33 locomotive passes a fire blackened field as it travels from Swanage to Corfe Castle
A swimmer in the new open water swimming venue in Canary Wharf during warm weather in east London
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
The dried bed at Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park , east London. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday
An aerial view of people enjoying the hot weather on the beach at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
Sun-bleached grass is seen on the route of the Long Walk approaching Windsor Castle on August 10, 2022 in Windsor, England
Reduced water levels at Hanningfield Reservoir, in Essex. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
Weir Wood reservoir, which is currently 60% full, on August 10, 2022 in Crawley, United Kingdom. The Met Office, the UK’s weather service, issued an amber extreme heat warning for southern and central England and parts of Wales from midnight on Thursday until Sunday
An aerial view of people enjoying the hot weather on the beach at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
A woman sunworshipping in a quiet Greenwich Park during the current heatwave today
The dried bed at Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park, east London. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
A man sunworshipping on a monument in Greenwich Park during the current heatwave today
The dried bed at Heronry Pond in Wanstead Park, east London. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms
An aerial view of people enjoying the hot weather on the beach at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
An aerial view of people enjoying the hot weather on the beach at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside
Colliford Lake where water levels have severely dropped exposing the unseen trees and rocks at Cornwall’s largest lake and reservoir, covering more than 900 acres of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
A swimmer in the new open water swimming venue in Canary Wharf during warm weather in east London
London Fire Brigade dealing with the aftermath of a grass fire in Rainham, east London. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms
West Yorkshire Firefighters tackle a blaze arounds Rothwell, Leeds as a farmer frantically ploughs his field in a big to stop the spread
Bournemouth beach was packed with sunseekers today as temperatures continue to soar across the UK
A swimmer in the new open water swimming venue in Canary Wharf during warm weather in east London
A quiet and parched Greenwich Park today as temperatures continue to soar amid Britain’s ongoing heatwave
A packed Brighton beach as a second heatwave hits the UK, as a four day amber extreme heat warning is issued
A view of bird house beside a dried up pond in the village of Northend in Oxfordshire, where Thames Water is pumping water into the supply network following a technical issue at Stokenchurch Reservoir
A worker from Thames Water delivering a temporary water supply from a tanker to the village of Northend in Oxfordshire, where the water company is pumping water into the supply network following a technical issue at Stokenchurch Reservoir
He said water policy in the UK ‘has been a complacent shambles for decades’ and the country should have planned for population growth and climate change a generation ago.
The charity is calling for companies to fix leaks, for improved water efficiency in homes and for more reservoirs to be built to create more storage.
Water companies have faced criticism for bringing in hosepipe bans while leaking billions of litres of water a day from their networks and awarding high bonuses to executives.
Elsewhere, grass fires have broken out as the heat and lack of rain have left countryside, parks and gardens tinder dry, prompting calls for people not to have barbecues and for disposable barbecues to be banned.
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 warn the likelihood of droughts occurring is becoming higher due to climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human activities.
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