Britain witnesses hottest day ever as temperatures hit 40C

Agencies | London                                              

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Britain recorded its hottest day ever on Tuesday, with the temperature exceeding 40C (104F) as a heatwave gripping Europe intensified.

Train tracks buckle and fuel a spate of fires across London.

The Met Office said a new provisional record temperature of 40.3C (104.5F) was recorded in Coningsby, in central England, with 34 sites across the country experiencing temperatures in excess of the previous high of 38.7C (101.7F) recorded in 2019.

Stephen Belcher at the Met Office said he had not expected to see such temperatures in Britain in his career.

"Research conducted here at the Met Office has demonstrated that it's virtually impossible for the UK to experience 40C in an undisrupted climate but climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made these extreme temperatures possible," he said.

Train services on major routes from London up the east and west coast of the country were canceled, electricity companies reported mass outages and normally busy city centers appeared quiet.

London Fire Brigade declared a major incident and urged people to stop having barbecues, as hundreds of firefighters battled blazes across the capital.

To the east, a large fire engulfed homes in the village of Wennington, with flames tearing across about 40 hectares (100 acres) of neighboring tinder-dry fields.

Elsewhere large grassland areas around the capital caught fire, billowing smoke over major roads and nearby areas.

London's Ambulance Service said it had been dealing with 400 calls an hour because of the extreme heat.

"We are seeing an increase in the number of patients experiencing heat exposure, breathing difficulties, dizziness and fainting," said Peter Rhodes, the deputy director of ambulance operations.

Britain had been put on a state of national emergency over the unprecedented temperatures.