UK weather: Britain enjoys hottest day of year as heatwave hits

Temperature of 29.4C recorded in St James's Park in London

Britain enjoyed the hottest day of the year on Monday with temperatures just shy of 30C, as the Met Office issued a heatwave alert for the coming days.

The weather service confirmed a temperature of 29.4C was reached in St James's Park in London with the warmth felt across the UK.

It came as a level two heat health watch warning, which is in place from 9am tomorrow to 6pm on Thursday, was issued covering most western parts of England.

Rachel West, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “While the hot weather can be lovely, it can be quite dangerous for people who are vulnerable such as very elderly and sometimes very young people or certain people who are poorly.

“Across the West Midlands or Northwest England we are likely to see 30C tomorrow and Wednesday.”

The alert warns of an 80 per cent chance of heatwave conditions in the northwest of England, and a 60 per cent chance in the northeast and southwest, as well as the West Midlands.

According to the Met Office, this alert is “triggered as soon as the risk is 60 per cent or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night”.

It added: “This is an important stage for social and healthcare services who will be working to ensure readiness and swift action to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.”

A lower level one alert, which suggests at least a 40 per cent chance of a heatwave, also covers the rest of England.

Winds are expected to take the edge off the heat in eastern parts of the country.

Bonnie Diamond, forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The warmest temperature so far this year was 29.1C on 19 April in St James’s Park. It is likely we will beat that tomorrow.

“We could see temperatures pushing 30C mainly across western parts of England and it is similar for Wednesday and Thursday.

“The next few days will be dry, settled and warm – and getting warmer still.”

Ms Diamond added that the “unusual” thing was that the dry weather was “nationwide”, with no rain expected anywhere over the next few days, except for possible showers in northern parts of Scotland.

June has been a particularly dry month, with much of the UK only seeing about a third of the average monthly rainfall, and England has seen only 15 per cent, according to the Met Office.

One of the driest regions has been Essex, which has only seen about 3 per cent of the month’s average rainfall.

Despite the dry weather, water companies have reassured customers they are not concerned about a drought.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said “no water companies have proposed any restrictions at this point” and that a drought was more of a long-term issue as it depended on reservoirs and ground water being stored and collected over time.

Anglian Water, which covers one of the driest regions in the country, said there was “no chance of a hosepipe ban this year”, with other water companies echoing their statement.

Emma Staples, from Anglian Water, said: “Water levels in our reservoirs and groundwater stores are healthy.

“We fill up reservoirs in the winter, so a dry winter is more of a cause for concern than a dry summer.”

She added that it would take around 18 months of dry weather for them to worry about a drought and that the winter and spring months had brought plenty of rain, as well as the Beast from the East earlier in the year.

The company’s tips for using less water include: keeping a full jug of water in the fridge to avoid running the tap each time you get thirsty; going to the beach instead of filling a paddling pool; fixing dripping taps; and taking shorter showers or shallower baths.

In terms of taking care of the garden, they encouraged people to water plants at night when it is cooler as less water evaporates and suggested not using sprinklers to water the lawn.

PHE’s top tips for staying safe when the heat arrives

• Look out for others, especially older people, young children and babies and those with underlying health conditions
• Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors
• Drink plenty of water as sugary, alcoholic and caffeinated drinks can make you more dehydrated
• Never leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle, especially infants, young children or animals
• Try to keep out of the sun between 11am to 3pm
• Take care and follow local safety advice, if you are going into the water to cool down
• Walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a hat, if you have to go out in the heat
• Avoid physical exertion in the hottest parts of the day
• Wear light, loose fitting cotton clothes
• Make sure you take water with you, if you are travelling