More victims feared as hot weather stays
BRITAIN’S sizzling heatwave claimed at least three lives yesterday – with fears that death toll will rise.
Two people drowned and a powerboat pilot was killed in three separate tragedies as the mercury soared to 30.6C on the hottest day of the year.
Police warned people to be wary of swimming in open water as a man drowned in a lake in Nutfield, Surrey.
Another investigation was opened in Eastbourne after a female swimmer drowned.
And powerboat pilot Kevin Edmonson, 53, of Canterbury was killed in a collision during the Offshore Circuit Racing Drivers Association race in West Bay, Dorset.
In Stoke-on-Trent, officers named a 13-yearold boy last seen in “extreme distress” in a lake as Ryan Evans. A dive team was last night searching Westport Lake for a second day. Chief Insp John Owen, said: “It is something no parent should ever go through.”
Meanwhile, commuters have been told to expect delays as stretches of freshly laid tarmac were beginning to melt.
One rural stretch near Conwy, north Wales, was closed after an inspection. Other roads were “sticky,” North Wales police said.
Network Rail is set to bring in speed restrictions as over-heated rails could warp.
Boss Andy Thomas said: “Our engineers and specialist teams are monitoring trackside temperatures at vulnerable locations.”
The Met Office raised its warning level to two and alerted social and healthcare services to be ready for action.
Firefighters continue to battle a grass blaze on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines.
And in York, police rescued two Labradors which had been left locked inside a 50C car.
One said: “Officers in that car for 30 seconds were struggling to breathe so goodness knows what these animals went through.”