SOME of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the country have been recorded this week.
Monday saw the mercury hit 35ºC at the University of Reading. Yesterday was thought to be hotter, although final temperatures will be tallied after we have gone to press.
The record for Reading was 36.4ºC, recorded back in 2003.
However, it was thought temperatures could exceed 40ºC in parts of the country, a UK record, prompting the Met Office to issue an extreme weather alert.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has says it has had to respond to a number of incidents, including being called to Bray Lake in Maidenhead where a teenager died.
Superintendent Michael Greenwood, the Thames Valley Police LPA Commander for Windsor & Maidenhead, said: “This is an absolute tragedy in which a young boy has died after getting into difficulty in the water of Bray Lake.
“The boy’s next of kin have been notified and are being offered support at this extremely difficult and traumatic time.
“My thoughts, and the thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police are with the boy’s family and his friends, and we would ask that their privacy is respected.”
Fire crews were called to Sulham Woods on Monday to respond to a wildfire.
Crews from Caverhsam Road, Wokingham Road, Newbury, Whitley Wood and Theale were sent to the scene alongside two 4×4 vehicles and a six wheel drive fire appliance.
The blaze was extinguished, and it was monitored throughout the day.
Reading’s vaccination centre was closed to the high temperatures, but the Royal Berkshire Hospital coped well.
NHS Digital said that searches for heat exhaustion increased by 525%.
Reading Buses allowed staff to wear white clothing and were given sun safety advice, as well as water.
And some kind passengers have been seen given cold drinks to drivers to help them stay cool.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We remain incredibly grateful to the hard work of our driving and support teams, particularly during the ongoing heat, and our engineering teams are working hard to ensure that our buses can cope too.
“All our drivers have been briefed for staying safe in the heat, and having seen reports of customers buying some of them cold drinks, we also remain grateful to them for continuing to support us and our whole team.”
The extreme heat has been monitored by teams at the University of Reading.
Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher, said the weather was a wake-up call the climate emergency.
“We have had heatwaves in the UK before, but the intensity of heat that has been forecast, which will either break UK records or at least get very close, is enough to kill people and animals, damage property, and hobble the economy.
“Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary. This feels real. At the start of the week I was worried about my goldfish getting too hot.
“Now I’m worried about the survival of my family and my neighbours.”
However, there were some people who were making the most of the sunshine, as our pictures show.
