England was put under an amber heat-health alert today as an official heatwave began with Britons flocking to the beach and temperatures set to hit 34C.
The Government's UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the five-day alert from midday today until Monday morning amid concerns that there could be 'a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions'.
The warning said 'significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures' along with 'increased demand for power exceeding capacity' and 'heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services'.
The UKHSA has previously placed most of England apart from the North under a lesser yellow heat-health until Sunday evening, but this has now been upgraded. It is the first amber heat-health alert to be issued for two years since September 2023.
The mercury has steadily risen in recent days with highs of 25.2C (77.4F) last Sunday, 26.7C (80.1F) on Monday, 27.9C (82.2F) on Tuesday and 29.3C (84.7F) yesterday.
