A general view shows all that remains of a tributary of the Rhine near Bendorf is a trickle on Sunday in Germany. The heat and drought of the past few days have caused water levels to drop rapidly. THOMAS FREY/DPA
Newly published figures from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggest that in excess of 2,700 people in England and Wales may have died in May and June from heat-related causes, as the extreme temperatures that have blighted Europe this summer continue.
The recent heat waves have been caused by a weather condition known as a heat dome, a stalled area of high pressure which traps hot air, the effects of which, experts say, have been exacerbated by human-caused climate change.
The June heat wave was the warmest on record, underlining that British buildings are not designed to deal with such conditions, as they are so rare, making them harder to deal with when they come along.
Babies, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions are regarded as being most at risk from excessive heat due to the strain it puts on the heart while cooling the body down.
