Britain’s Fourth Heatwave Arrives With Amber Alerts
Britain’s fourth heatwave of the summer has arrived, with amber heat-health alerts now in force across much of England and temperatures forecast to peak around 35C on Wednesday. The UK Health Security Agency warned of a likely rise in deaths among the elderly and vulnerable, while fire chiefs appealed to the public to take care amid a high wildfire risk. Drought has been declared in the driest regions.
The alerts, covering some seven regions and dozens of counties, mark an escalation from the warnings issued over the weekend, and come with reservoirs low and more than 23 million people under hosepipe bans. Health officials urged people to stay hydrated, keep homes cool and check on neighbours. The heat will keep the risk of wildfires high, from the Cairngorms to the south of England, after a summer of repeated extremes and the driest spring on record. For a country ill-suited to sustained high temperatures, the strain on health, transport and farming is mounting. Watch the peak on Wednesday and any upgrade of the alerts.