A health boss has warned that people could die in the ‘ferocious heat’, with temperatures looking increasingly likely to soar past 40°C in the coming days.
The UK’s first red extreme heat warning was issued by the Met Office last week covering a large part of England from London to Manchester and York on Monday and Tuesday. The UK Health Security Agency has also issued a level four heat health warning described as a ‘national emergency’.
College of Paramedics chief executive Tracy Nicholls told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: ‘This isn’t like a lovely hot day where we can put a bit of sunscreen on, go out and enjoy a swim and a meal outside.
‘This is serious heat that could actually, ultimately, end in people’s deaths because it is so ferocious. We’re just not set up for that sort of heat in this country.’
Experts have already warned that the UK could see thousands of excess deaths linked to the extreme heat.
Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said people should do ‘as little as possible’ in the coming days.
He told The Telegraph Brits should avoid strenuous exercise and unnecessary travel and ‘really consider’ what they need to do on Monday and Tuesday.
Mr Keates suggested working from home where possible, warning that ‘even fit and healthy people could be adversely affected by temperatures like this’.
He added: ‘Do as little as possible… because heat is fatiguing and we are in slightly uncharted territory.’
Their comments were made after Deputy PM Dominic Raab said people should take precautions ahead of the record-breaking temperatures but added they should be able to enjoy themselves.
‘Obviously there is some common-sense practical advice we are talking about – stay hydrated, stay out of the sun at the hottest times, wear sun cream – those sorts of things,’ he told Sophy Ridge On Sunday.
‘We ought to enjoy the sunshine and actually we ought to be resilient enough through some of the pressures it will place.’
Ministers held a virtual emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday after meteorologists warned the record high temperatures could put lives at risk.
Additional contingency support for ambulance services, such as more call handlers and extra working hours, have been put in place on Monday and Tuesday.
Transport services are expected to be disrupted on both days, with Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse urging people not to travel.
More than a dozen train companies are urging Britons not to travel early next week.
Some 21 operators – ranging from Transport for Wales and Gatwick Express to the Transpennine Express and Southern – said they will be running a slower service on Monday and Tuesday after National Rail implemented speed restrictions across its network.
Meanwhile, the AA has warned that roads could melt and tyres could burst in the scorching heat, with some councils deploying gritters in a bid to stop their highways melting.
Elsewhere, the chairman of the NHS Confederation said hospitals are going to be ‘really, really pushed’ over the next few days.
Lord Victor Adebowale said the NHS ‘will cope’, but added that ‘coping isn’t good enough’.
He told Times Radio: ‘My members are pretty stretched at the moment. Ambulances are operating at their peak, the waiting times for ambulances are now getting longer.
‘The NHS will cope but coping isn’t good enough. We need to be actually operating in a way that allows people to get the treatment they need wherever needed, in good time. And that’s a struggle.’
Schools in several counties, including Nottinghamshire and Hampshire, have confirmed they will close on Monday and Tuesday following the health warnings, while Milton Keynes University Hospital is ‘standing down routine outpatient appointments and surgery’ on those days.
Greater Manchester Police implored people to avoid cooling off in reservoirs, rivers or ponds after a teenage boy died while swimming with friends in a canal.
The 16-year-old got into difficulties and was last seen struggling in the water at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester at around 6.15pm on Saturday.
A boy’s body was recovered overnight and officers believe it may be that of the missing teenager.
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