London has been hit with a fresh heat health alert as a sixth heatwave of a scorching summer looms.
The yellow alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), will be in place between 9am on Saturday August 8 and 9pm on Tuesday August 11.
The alert will not only impact the capital, but the majority of England, with only the northwest and northeast not being issued the warning.
Yellow alerts mean that significant impacts are possible across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.
These can include a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, and a likely increase in demand for health services.
Water‑related incidents may also increase, including risks from cold‑water shock and drowning, and temperatures in care settings such as hospitals and care homes may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment.
Temperatures are set to spike again this weekend after a few relatively cooler days.
According to the Met Office, the mercury will hit 28C on Saturday before peaking around 32C on Sunday 9.
Next week will maintain sweltering temperatures, with highs between 28C and 32C predicted each day through to the following weekend.
There remains no rain on the horizon for the capital, with London still officially in a period of drought.
England has just faced its driest July in more than 100 years, according to the national forecaster.
Rainfall across the country was at 4.4mm, one of the lowest levels on record, behind only February 1891 (3.3mm) and tied with June 1925.
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The number of calls to the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has spiked as a result, with record numbers of calls to grassfires around the city.
The brigade battled ten grass fires and took more than 1,000 emergency calls on Wednesday August 5.
LFB has urged Londoners to play their part in protecting green spaces from fire and to take extra care during the hot weather.
Assistant Commissioner for Operational Resilience and Control Patrick Goulbourne said: “In these dry conditions, it only takes a spark to start a grass fire and they can spread rapidly, quickly threatening homes, workplaces, infrastructure and the environment.”
