Heatwave continues: Britain prepares for scorching temperatures as rail, retail and airports face disruption
Brits are set to face temperatures of up to 41c today which is likely to be the hottest day on record.
The country is struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures, with Luton Airport temporarily grounding all flights yesterday due to the heat, which melted a part of the tarmac.
London’s transport network continues to suffer also, with multiple lines experiencing severe delays, while the Hammersmith and City line remains suspended due to the heat.
This comes after the Met Office issued a red extreme level four heat warning, which can cause danger to life.
Extreme heat can impact on overhead power lines and signalling equipment, as well as causing rails to buckle.
The Metropolitan, Central and District lines all continue to have severe delays, as does the London overground.
Many rail operators have decided to halt services, while Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, Great Western Railway and Southern are all running special services. Like the tube, most rail operators including the Thameslink, which services London from the home counties, is running a rail speed check, causing long delays.
There are currently no trains north from London King’s Cross.
Train networks are continuing to advise passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary, with the heat causing the possibility of rails buckling.
Andy Lord, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are advising customers to only use London’s transport network for essential journeys ..and to check before they travel due to heat-related speed restrictions and the part-suspension of some services that we’ve had to introduce for safety reasons.”
“I’d like to apologise to our customers whose journeys have been disrupted today due to the extreme heat. We are working hard to keep as many services running as possible and are carrying out enhanced inspections to mitigate the impact of the high temperatures.”
Many schools across the country have also closed, with those remaining open preventing students from going into the sun.
Retailers also closed their doors yesterday as customers stayed at home, with a further dip in sales expected today.
On Monday, Springboard’s ‘back to the office’ benchmark for central London office hubs showed that footfall was down 18.1 per cent compared to last week while central London overall was 16.1 per cent down.