UK heatwave forecast today: Millions urged to work from home and check on those vulnerable to 41C heat

Schools decided to send children home early Monday and Tuesday following an extreme heat warning for the start of next week.

For most schools in England, the week beginning July 18 is the last days of classes before the start of summer vacation.

However, due to the scorching weather, a growing number of schools have announced that they will end the last days of the school year early to protect both students and staff.

Reports by Maryam Zakir-Hussain.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has promised new measures, including extra working hours for paramedics, to deal with the UK’s first national heat wave emergency.

“The clear message to the public is to take reasonable measures in terms of water, shade and cover, which many people are aware of. This is the best way to mitigate the heat,” Mr. Barclay, quoted by Sky News.

“We ask people to keep an eye on their neighbors and those who may be vulnerable. We are also setting up additional emergency support.

He added: “We are putting additional measures in place in terms of call handlers, support for the fleet [and] additional hours of capacity within the ambulances. Each ambulance trust has well-developed emergency plans for extreme weather conditions.

A national emergency is declared when a heat wave is so severe and/or prolonged that its impacts extend beyond the health sector, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Transport, food and businesses could also be affected and this could lead to electricity or water shortages, according to the agency responsible for protecting the population from health threats.

A national emergency can also be declared when “the integrity of the health and social protection systems is threatened”.

Read more from our climate correspondent, Saphora Smithhere:

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Saturday’s kick started the start of the heatwave, with Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens in west London recording the highest temperature of 29.1C.

Hot weather has led to increased demand for water in some areas, with South East Water confirming that residents of Challock and Molash in Kent have no water due to “hot weather continuous and significantly increased demand for water” putting “significant pressure on our network”.

A statement from the supplier said: “We are continuing to work on restoring your supplies and will continue to work on this overnight.

“As a precaution, we will be opening the bottled water station at Challock Village Hall tomorrow morning at 8am.

“The team will be here until 7 p.m. tomorrow night.”

An NHS doctor has warned that the heat wave and surge in Covid-19 cases in England is causing a “nightmare” for health workers.

Dr Claire Bronze, 38, an A&E consultant in London, said she was worried about the effect the hot weather would have on patients and staff.

She said: ‘In some places people are waiting in A&E for up to two days at a time for a hospital bed.

“There are ambulances queuing to get in; we have seen many Covid cases again, and then there is the heat.

“All these things are happening that are just a nightmare and we are worried about how it will affect patients and staff.”

The Met Office on Friday warned that lives could be at risk as it is likely that a record temperature in the UK could be set early next week.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan held a special meeting on Friday with key senior officials from agencies including the NHS, Met Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, Councils and Transport for London to ensure a solid plan is in place to deal with the level four heat alert.

Mr Khan urged Londoners to only make essential journeys on Monday and Tuesday and to prepare for disruption as speed restrictions will be in place on the rail and tube networks.

A high air pollution alert for London was also issued by the mayor for Monday.

Labor meanwhile slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson after reports said he had failed to attend Cobra meetings.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: ‘Boris Johnson is again missing in action. He’s back to his old tricks of skipping important Cobra meetings.

“Where is the plan to deliver essential services and how will people be protected at work, in transport, in schools, hospitals and care homes?

“The public will have no faith in this zombie Tory government responding quickly and decisively to this national emergency as this disgraced Prime Minister prepares to party while Britain boils.”

According to Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep expert at Silentnight, the optimal bedroom temperature for sleeping is between 16°C and 21°C, and your brain should be slightly cooler than the rest of your body.

“A good night’s sleep is important for processing information throughout the day as well as repairing and rebalancing the body physically and mentally,” says Ramlakhan. The Independent.

“Ideally, for us to sleep well, there must be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain – a warm body and a cool head!”

Here are 20 tips for staying cool at night:

A rainy start for the north tomorrow while intense sunshine and heat are forecast for the rest of the UK.