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The hottest June day record has been smashed again after the Met Office extended its rare red weather warning for extreme heat in London and the South East.
A provisional temperature of 36.4 was reached in Yeovilton, Somerset, on Thursday, exceeding yesterday’s record of 36.1C at Gosport, Hampshire.
The Met Office expects the “exceptional spell of hot and humid weather” to continue until Friday night, along with thunderstorms that will bring heavy rain and lightning to most of the UK.
Hundreds of thousands of people have come under a hosepipe ban in Kent as the extreme heatwave drives record demand for water.
South East Water is urging its 850,000 customers in the county to immediately follow the restrictions, which will be enforced from 3 July.
It follows the hottest June night on record in the UK after overnight temperatures in Cardiff failed to drop below 23.5C.
Train passengers have been told to only travel if necessary, as commuters face significant travel delays and cancellations amid the red weather warning.
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Watch: Electric bus destroyed by fire as London battles extreme temperatures Electric bus destroyed by fire as London battles extreme temperatures
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 15:50
In pictures: Londoners soak up sun in Canary Wharf as Britain experiences record temperatures
(Reuters)
(Reuters)
(Reuters)
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 15:20
Record number of life-threatening emergencies during London heatwave
London Ambulance Service said it recorded its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies in its history “driven by the extreme heat” on Wednesday.
It responded to 642 category one calls, which include the most serious, life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as cardiac arrests and patients who are not breathing.
More than 400 extra ambulance crews have been put on the road amid the ongoing heatwave in London, it said earlier.
Chief executive Jason Killens KAM said: “We have seen the highest number of life-threatening emergencies in our history, driven by the extreme heat across London.
“Our crews are working very hard in challenging conditions to care for patients and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our people for their incredible hard work.
“Please help them to help you by taking care of yourself and others – stay out of the sun and keep hydrated.”It was the fifth busiest day in the service’s history, with 7,900 calls in total and ambulance crews responding to nearly 3,600 patients in a single day.”
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 15:06
Plenty of sunshine, though low cloud affecting some North Sea coasts. Hot for most, exceptionally so across southern and central parts of England and Wales. Breezier than Wednesday. Wetter and cloudier for northwest Scotland, with spells of heavy rain.
Rain in the northwest turning thundery. Further thunderstorms with strong gusty winds developing across southwest England during Thursday evening before spreading northeastwards overnight. Warm and humid for all.
Rather cloudy across northern regions with outbreaks of rain and thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and gusty winds. Peak heat transferring to eastern England, with temperatures further west dropping slightly.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday
Still hot in the southeast on Saturday. Fresher conditions gradually arriving from the west during the weekend, but this accompanied by spells of rain and thundery showers. Drier by Monday.
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 14:59
Breaking: Hottest June day record broke again as temperatures hit 36.4C
Temperatures have reached 36.4°C at Yeovilton, provisionally making it the hottest June day on record, surpassing both the previous record set yesterday and the longstanding record from 1976 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/BS4omOTeyK
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 25, 2026
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 14:39
More medical emergencies seen among rough sleepers during heatwave, says charity
An increase in the number of medical emergencies among people living on the streets has been seen during the heatwave, a charity said.
Ish Camp, regional head of St Mungo’s, said the charity is “absolutely seeing a lot more medical emergencies” amid record-breaking temperatures.
Ms Camp said: “We are absolutely seeing a lot more medical emergencies.“We’ve seen a lot higher incidents of people becoming unwell, people being dehydrated.”
She added: “This is an emergency situation and the priority is keeping people alive.”
The most recent figures, published in April, showed almost 4,000 people were sleeping rough in London in January-March this year.
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 14:38
Anglian Water put 1600 million litres of water into supply yesterday
Anglian Water put 1600 million litres of water into supply on Wednesday – far higher than its typical distribution of 1200 million litres a day.
The increase is roughly equivalent to supplying an extra county the size of Lincolnshire, it said.
Ian Rule, the director of water services for Anglian Water, has urged customers to avoid using hosepipes and use less water wherever they can.
He added that there was no plans to introduce a hosepipe ban this year.
“We recognise that water plays an important part in keeping cool and staying hydrated during the heat, but anywhere you can cut back – for instance, by reusing water from paddling pools to water your garden, taking shorter showers or putting off non-essential tasks like washing the car – will make a significant difference over the coming days.”
Earlier today, South East Water imposed a hosepipe ban on 850,000 of its customers in Kent.
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 14:22
Schools closing in heatwave shows more to do to modernise buildings, says education secretary
Schools having to close or shut early to protect pupils and staff during the heatwave shows “there is more to do” to ensure buildings are equipped to deal with extreme heat, Bridget Phillipson has said.
At least 1,000 settings made decisions to either close completely or send children home early on Wednesday and Thursday, as the June temperature record – held since the infamous summer of 1976 – was smashed.
The education secretary has faced calls to urgently modernise school buildings, in particular to fit them with air conditioning – with climate change likely to make the high temperatures seen this week less rare.
During a visit to Beanfield Primary School in Corby, Northamptonshire, on Thursday, Ms Phillipson told the Press Association: “Schools have had a difficult time of it in that we saw a huge backlog building up over many many years, schools crumbling, we had the Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) crisis.
“There’s been a big job of work left in order to really make sure that all our schools are modern buildings that are able to deliver a brilliant education for our children.
“We are investing a lot of money in making that a reality, but I think the challenges that schools are facing around the extreme weather at the moment demonstrate that there’s more to do.”
The government allocated £2.4 billion in 2025/26 to improve the condition of the school and college estate.
(Getty Images)
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 14:10
British woman dies at campsite in Western France on hottest day of year
A British woman has reportedly died at a campsite in Western France on Wednesday when the country recorded its hottest day ever.
The Daily Mail spoke to an employee at the campsite who confirmed that an elderly British woman collapsed and died at the Baie D-Aunis campsite.
More than 50 people have been killed in France during the intense heatwave.
A three year-old boy also died after becoming trapped in a car in Paris.
The toddler slipped into the family car while his father thought he was sleeping but was unable to get out due to the child lock, public prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said.
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 13:59
Man dead after entering water at South Wales beach
A 50-year-old man died after entering the water at Aberavon Beach in South Wales on Wednesday.
Police were called to the beach at around 4.25pm following reports that a man required medical assistance.
South Wales Police said the coastguard performed CPR until the arrival of the air ambulance and paramedics, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.50pm.
The man is from Cilfrew in Neath Port Talbot and his family has been notified.
His death is not being treated as suspicious, police said.
Harriette Boucher25 June 2026 13:45