The UK has set a new temperature record as the sweltering heatwave entered a second day and further highs of up to 41C (106F) were forecast.
The mercury reached 40.2C at Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon and a Met Office red warning for extreme heat was in force across swathes of England.
The UK Health Security Agency has a level four heat-health alert in place, the public have been advised to stay indoors and avoid travelling where possible, and a surge in ambulance calls was expected.
With the high temperatures not forecast to end until Wednesday, five people share how they are coping with the heatwave.
‘We’ve made a makeshift sun shield in the kitchen’
As the south-facing kitchen in her student flat lacks blinds, Iman Tabassum, 22, has resorted to DIY cooling methods.
“We’ve had to improvise by attaching a makeshift sun shield across the windows to keep as much sunlight out as possible,” said Tabassum, who studies in York.
“Collecting every flyer through our letterbox this year has come in handy as they’ve been used, along with some tea towels, to help cool the house a little.”
The student did not go into university on Monday, as it would have involved a 40-minute walk or a sweltering bus journey. “It has been difficult to work, so [I’ve been doing] very little – I just can’t concentrate. I’m just keeping hydrated,” Tabassum said.
‘It was 37.9C inside my narrowboat’
The temperature in Dave Bicker’s narrowboat soared to 37.9C on Monday.
“Having a black metal box as one’s accommodation in these temperatures isn’t perhaps the best plan,” said the gardener, who lives in Leicestershire.
His dog, Rufus, spent the day sitting in the boat with a wet tea towel on his head, while Bicker, 63, closed the curtains to keep the sun out. “Friends have bought Rufus a cool mat,” he said, explaining that it absorbs heat from the dog but has yet to arrive.
In the meantime, Bicker and Rufus are spending Tuesday outdoors in the shade. “We’re sitting by the river, we’ve both had a paddle – it’s infinitely better than being in the boat. We’re by the trees, there’s a gentle breeze – we’ll be spending the time out here,” he said.
‘Living in a van, I have picked up many ways to cope’
Gloria*, a poet, lives in a self-converted lorry with her pet dog, Harry. “I spent three months in Morocco, where I picked up many ways to cope with the heat without the mod cons a lot of people may have,” she said.
These include spraying Harry with water from a mister bottle and keeping the rugs in the vehicle damp to cool the dog down. When it becomes too hot, Gloria, 52, parks up in the heat to open all the doors of the lorry to funnel a breeze into the living area.
“I can’t leave the van parked as it means closing all the doors, which would be unsafe for Harry,” she said. One of the challenges of living in a vehicle is that Gloria has no fridge to keep food cool. She therefore prefers tinned food as it is easiest to store in the heat.
Gloria also has to store her drinking water on board, which means it must be frequently changed. “I live in a more basic way than most and can’t afford to waste water. When the water becomes undrinkable, I swap it out for another bottle that I store under the floor to keep it cool,” she said.
‘I wear a wet T-shirt with the fan on’
Alan in Berkshire is staying cool by wearing a wet T-shirt: a tip that he notes requires “zero investment and is accessible to all”.
He explained: “Fully submerge it in cold water, wring it out – once it’s damp to the point of not dripping, put it back and and just repeat when you start feeling the sweat bead on your forehead.
Alan, 33, who works for the prison service, said you should “ideally use an worn-out T-shirt”, adding: “If you combine it with a fan then you’re really laughing.”
Alan said the heatwave has prompted him to use this technique with his bedsheets before turning in.
“I resorted to it for the first time actually last week,” he said. “I just took a top sheet and did the same thing – especially with the fan on, that was a major quality of life improvement.”
‘I drink cups of tea until the evening’
Elizabeth Brotherton, 76, is dealing with the heatwave by following the “Aussie rules” she learned when visiting family in Sydney.
“Never go out without a hat, factor 50 and a bottle of water,” she said.
Brotherton, who lives in Staffordshire, said she went outside to hang up her washing before 9am and it will “probably be dry and stiff as a board” by midday.
“I sunbathed before 9 o’clock, then I came in, curtains closed, windows closed,” she said.
Brotherton is eschewing cold drinks for cups of tea at the hottest times of the day. “I’m about to have my third cup of tea,” she said, explaining that drinking tea until sunset is a tip she learned from her father, who was in the Royal Navy.
She avoids iced drinks until around 6pm. “We’ll open all the windows around about eight o’clock tonight or maybe a bit later downstairs and let the air flow through,” she said. “I accept that my sleep at night won’t be great, so I try to grab a nap in the afternoon.”
* Names have been changed
