Britain Braces for a Fourth Heatwave as Alerts Widen
Britain is bracing for its fourth heatwave of the summer next week, with temperatures forecast to peak around 35C. Fresh heat-health alerts have been issued for parts of England, warning of risks to the elderly and vulnerable, as wildfires flare from the Cairngorms to the south. The heat compounds a summer that has already brought the driest spring on record and widespread hosepipe bans.
The renewed hot spell follows the amber heat-health alerts that ran through this weekend and will keep pressure on water supplies, with more than 23 million people already under hosepipe restrictions. Health officials urged people to stay hydrated, keep homes cool and check on elderly neighbours, warning that repeated heatwaves raise the cumulative risk to health. Scientists link the growing frequency of such extremes to a warming climate. For a country unused to sustained high temperatures, the strain on health services, transport and farmland is mounting. Watch the Met Office forecast and any escalation of the alerts.