A level 3 or amber alert has been put in place and will remain until 09:00 on Friday for the majority of the east and south-east of England.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on bosses to keep workplaces cool and relax dress codes to allow staff to work as comfortably as possible. Staff should also be allowed to work flexible hours, to avoid the sweltering conditions on public transport during the rush hour commute.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s no fun working in a baking office or factory and employers should do all they can to take the temperature down.”
The National Farmers Union has said that livestock farmers are using water rations and has warned that many crops are ‘parched to the bone’.
Santon Downham in Suffolk recorded temperatures of 33.3C on Monday, making it the hottest day of the year so far. The HSE warns that ‘too much sunlight is harmful to your skin‘.
🌡️🌡️🌡️BREAKING NEWS – it's the #hottestdayoftheyearsofar with 33.3 °C recorded at Santon Downham in Suffolk 🌡️🌡️🌡️ pic.twitter.com/wMsPfCvAsx
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 23, 2018
It’s the third time this year that the level 3 alert has been reached in England. It is put in place when temperatures are expected to hit 30C during the day and 15C during the night, for at least two consecutive days.
Working in conjunction with Public Health England, the Met office has set up a Heat Health Watch for health and care workers be prepared to keep people safe.
A Met Office Spokesperson said: “We advise people to take care in the sun. Either by staying out of the sun or being sensible and not going out in the strongest sunshine hours, 11am to 3pm, where possible.”
Read SHP’s advice on How to keep cool at work.
