A number of schools are set to close early and millions of homeowners are facing calls to limit their water usage this week – as temperatures tipped to hit as high as 40°C in parts of the UK.
The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity, with large parts of England and Wales set to see the mercury soar beyond 37°C.
One Surrey hospital declared a critical incident while South East Water has urged customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire to only use water for essential purposes.
Its 2.3m customers were asked to stop refilling paddling pools, hot tubs and jet washing, and only use water for washing, drinking and cooking. However, the water giant said a full hosepipe ban was not in place.
Meanwhile, the head of St. Johns Ambulance said its medics have noticed the increasing impact of extreme heat on crowds at major sporting events.
Four of the last five years are among the UK’s top five hottest since 1884 and all of the top ten warmest years have occurred in the last two decades.
With Europe also gripped by a deadly heatwave that has topped 42°C, hundreds of schools have closed completely across the continent and drinking alcohol at outdoor events has been temporarily restricted in France.
Could the latest bout of extreme weather blasting the UK lead to similar curbs here?
School closures during heatwaves
Some schools in southern England have said they will close early until at least Thursday due to the extreme temperatures.
In Wiltshire, Kingsholm Primary in Gloucester will shut at 1.30pm every day until Thursday, with students asked to come to school in their PE kit.
Clarendon Academy in the same county said pupils will be dismissed from their classes at 12:25pm from Monday to Thursday.
Temperatures are set to near 40°C on WednesdayOaks Park High School, in Sutton, south London, will close at 12.20pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Belmont Junior School, in Haringey, north London, will also close 1t 1.30pm on the same days.
In Wales, council catering service Big Fresh has said it would serve cold school meals this week.
In France, almost 2,700 schools closed or modified timetables on Monday as authorities across Europe issued heatwave warnings on Monday.
There is no legal maximum temperature for schools and it’s rare pupils are sent home during heatwaves in Britain.
The Government says that during hot weather it doesn’t normally advise schools to close, but that heat-health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office can guide decisions on whether to stop lessons.
It argues that hot weather can usually be managed safely and says school leaders take any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable.
Schools can relax uniform rules during hot weather to make sure pupils are comfortable, the Department for Education says.
Unions call for legal maximum classroom temperature
But Daniel Kebede, general secretary, National Education Union (NEU), said teaching and learning were becoming “increasingly challenging” due to unprecedented extreme temperatures.
The NEU recommends schools should aim to keep indoor temperatures at a maximum of 26°C.
“Schools will always be as creative as possible in taking all possible measures to keep children and staff comfortable and safe, but in some schools, and some parts of the country, this will be much more difficult,” Kebede said.
“This is why we call upon the Government to urgently invest in making all our schools resilient to this type of extreme weather which is only going to become more common.”
The NASUWT teachers union says a full or partial closure of schools or colleges could be considered under a red alert for extreme heat after a risk assessment is carried out.
Matt Wrack, NASUWT general secretary, called for a legally enforceable maximum classroom temperature to be introduced as well as investment in ventilation, insulation and shaded areas in schools and colleges to make them “better equipped to withstand a changing climate and hotter, more intense weather”.
Warnings over outdoor drinking
As a record-breaking heatwave pummels Europe, France has banned alcohol at festivals.
The public consumption of alcohol in regions across France that have been placed under red alert has been outlawed.
Emmanuel Gregoire, the mayor of Paris, said: “The combination of alcohol, heat and proximity to water – those are three risk factors that don’t mix well.”
In Spain, bars must close outdoor terraces during extreme heatwaves to protect staff.
Terraces must close when the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issues orange or red heat warnings under changes driven by Spanish trade unions.
In the UK, decisions to ban or restrict outdoor drinking in public spaces during a heatwave are primarily made by councils.
Stuart Crichton, director of 999 operations at London Ambulance Service (LAS), has warned people to avoid alcohol, or drink other fluids as well during heatwaves.
St John Ambulance Chief Medical Officer, Professor Andrew Hartle, said: “We are increasingly seeing the impact of higher temperatures at major sporting events.
“St John Ambulance and our partners are more aware of this trend and have increased provisions such as more training and equipment for managing heat-related illness.”
Overheating homes
There have been increasing problems with UK new-builds overheating, with homes designed to retain heat during winter leaving homeowners sweltering during heatwaves.
Research from energy provider OVO found that more than one in five of its customers’ flats were susceptible to overheating because of large windows and poor ventilation.
Homeowners can apply to access £2,500 grants to help pay for installing air conditioning in their homes.
However, installers have been waiting for accreditation to be able to fit the heat pump leading to delays to the grants applied for under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
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