Heatwave study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) finds heat killed about 440 people a day during its three-day peak in June14:13, 13 Jul 2026Two Brits are among the latest of dozens of people killed after drowning in recent heatwaves.‌Two men died on Sunday afternoon after going into the water to rescue two children who had got into difficulty at Seaton Carew beach, Hartlepool. Cleveland Police confirmed both children are safe having been taken to hospital to be checked over.‌It comes as a study showed recent heatwaves are estimated to have seen over 2,700 additional deaths. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) estimates there were 2,700 excess deaths during record hot spells in May and June.‌High temperatures are associated with risks including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, stress on the heart and kidneys and worsening chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung conditions and diabetes. They also worsen mental health, violence and increase the risk of death from drowning.The Mirror has launched the ‘Save Lives for Sam’ campaign named after 16-year-old Sam Haycock who drowned at a reservoir in Rotherham in 2021. There were 29 drownings in May and June and a further eight so far in July as heatwaves grip the country.‌Last week police in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire found the bodies of 18-year-olds in two separate incidents during the July heatwave.Derbyshire Constabulary announced on Friday that the body of an 18-year-old man had been recovered from the water near the weir at the Darley Abbey Mills complex after two teenagers got into difficulty.In Greater Manchester, police were called to Dovestone Reservoir, Oldham, at around 7pm on Friday where they found an 18-year-old man unresponsive in the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene.‌Heatwaves have been raging throughout Europe and have been linked to hundreds of deaths across the continent. Nearly 100 people, mainly young men, died by drowning in Germany last month, there authorities there saidThe LSHTM report found that the heatwave that affected England and Wales in June was linked to about 440 extra deaths a day during its three-day peak.‌Researchers concluded that 42% of the people affected would not have died without the 1.4C of human-caused global warming. The deaths total does not include the July heatwave.Dr Clair Barnes, expert at Imperial College London, said: "People need to be aware that we are now seeing dangerous climate-change fuelled heat that is claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals and shutting down transport and infrastructure"."It's time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers. To protect people during future extremes, we must urgently adapt to the reality of the climate we now have, and double down on global efforts to reach net zero emissions to stop this from getting worse."‌The LSHTM research team examined the periods around the record-breaking heatwaves of May, when temperatures peaked at 35.1C, and June, which hit new highs for the month above 37C. About 550 people are estimated to have died because of heat-related causes in nine days of the May heatwave, and about 2,200 in the 11 days around the June heatwave in England and Wales.For comparison, official data suggests about four people die each day as a result of road traffic collisions and about 35 a day because of alcohol and drug use.When the effect of man-made climate warming was assessed researchers found this caused an extra 327 deaths in May and 825 in June.Article continues belowZack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said: "These deaths are on the hands of politicians who have failed to act over the years. The message is clear: without action to protect people from extreme heat, we will see thousands more deaths in the years to come. Something must change."Heatwave thresholds were rarely met in May, but this year daytime temperatures were widely 15C above the average for the month in England and Wales, while night-time temperature records were also set. The June heatwave, which saw red warnings for extreme heat issued on consecutive days, as well as high humidity.The Met Office's Dr Mark McCarthy said: "This combination of extreme daytime heat, high humidity and hot nights all act to really contribute and increase the impact these heatwaves have on our infrastructure, on transport, agriculture and particularly on our health and well being.”