UK issues amber heat alerts as temperatures soar across England

Amber heat-health alerts were put in place across seven regions of England as temperatures climbed toward high and even extreme levels, with the warnings due to run until Friday evening. The UK Health Security Agency put the East Midlands, East of England, London, North West, South East, South West and West Midlands under amber alert, while the North East was placed under a yellow alert.

London entered the amber warning at 9am on Tuesday 11 August. The latest warning was scheduled to stay in force until 9pm on Friday 14 August, according to the UKHSA data dashboard.

The Heat-health Alert Service is England-only and is aimed at health and social care professionals, along with others whose work helps reduce harm from prolonged hot weather. The alerts are early warnings for periods of high temperatures that may affect public health, and the agency has published advice on how to keep cool and stay well during hot weather.

In June, the British Red Cross forecast record-breaking temperatures, with parts of England and Wales reaching 38C. Later, the Met Office assessment was that multiple heatwaves and drought-like conditions had already marked the season. BBC Weather flagged amber heat-health alerts for much of eastern England ahead of another rise in temperatures, while Sky News forecast highs of 36C and many areas faced a fifth summer heatwave.