100F FRYING HIGH...AT
Camber Sands crowds. Below: Rosie, Megan and Lois pose in front of the Forth Bridge
BRITAIN baked yesterday as temperatures hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit – the third hottest day since records began back in 1872.
As millions made a stampede for staycation destinations amid the ongoing pandemic, the Met Office found that the mercury rocketed to 100.04F (37.8C) at Heathrow Airport.
The only time the UK has been hotter in more than a century was last year in Cambridge on July 25 (101.7F) and at Faversham in Kent on August 10,
2003 (101.3F).
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “It’s pretty hot out there! It is easily the hottest day of the year and the third hottest on record.While it will cool down tomorrow, it will still be a very nice weekend and still plenty of sunshine into next week.”
With roads leading to seaside resorts becoming gridlocked in some areas, worried councils in Bournemouth and Brighton urged people to stay away.
But millions keen to let off steam following lockdown packed parks and beaches around the country as the mercury shot through the 100F barrier – making the UK considerably hotter than much of Europe.
The Canary Islands could only muster a meagre 73F in comparison.
Unlike on Thursday, yesterday saw the whole of the UK enjoying the mini-heatwave, with temperatures soaring and blue skies over the entire country.
Seemingly ignoring fears over social distancing, sun-worshippers crammed on to beaches in coastal resorts, as many appeared to abandon work early for the weekend.
From Cornwall to Bournemouth,Weymouth to Brighton, Great Yarmouth to Scarborough, Brits made the most of the release from lockdown as they soaked up the sun.And in London, women flocked to an open-air lido. But as numbers swelled in Brighton, worried police and authorities warned against crowds gathering for the annual Gay Pride festival in the south coast city this weekend.
This year’s official event has been moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic with performances from the likes of Fatboy Slim and Jess Glynne to be broadcast into revellers’ living rooms, allowing them to celebrate safely.
But there were fears that large