Hotter summers will boost UK economy says Bill Giles
THE July heatwave may have been too much for some, but warmer summers will be a huge boost to Britain, former weatherman Bill Giles predicts.
He claims they will result in increased tourism which over the next 20 years will be vital to our post-Brexit economy.
This is because as summer temperatures soar, more Britons will holiday at home and foreign visitors will flock here to escape the heat of the Mediterranean.
‘If this is repeated year on year, things we take for granted will change drastically,’ Mr Giles, 79, told Radio Times.
‘Now is the time for the holiday and leisure industries to plough billions of pounds into updating their facilities in order to cope with the enormous potential increase in demand.
‘This won’t just be from families here – people, especially in Europe, could be seduced to enjoy the UK as our climate becomes more acceptable and their own becomes unbearably hot.’ Mr Giles predicts that Britain’s climate will be ‘among the best in the world’ by the middle of the century.
To capitalise on the warmer weather, Britain ‘has to offer more than the traditional UK tourist spots of London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Windsor’ and show the ‘glories’ of seaside resorts, he said. ‘We have ten years or so to grasp the nettle and make sure that, due to climate change, we tap into the trend of warmer, more predictable summers and make the leisure and holiday industries the backbone of our post-Brexit economy.
‘We have the chance: climate change is on our side, and now is the time to start planning for it.’
However, anyone hoping to make the most of the summer this week will be disappointed, as Scotland is set for a weekend washout as work continues to repair damage caused by recent heavy rain.
Met Office expert Emma Smith said: ‘The west of Scotland could see up to 50mm (almost 2in) of rain over a 24-hour period from Saturday into Sunday.’
Met Office data shows Threave, in Kirkcudbrightshire, has already had 178mm (7in) of rain this month, almost double the 107mm the August average for Scotland.
Engineers are working to repair the West Highland railway line after heavy rain washed away the track bed last week, while the Winchburgh Tunnel on the main line between Glasgow and Edinburgh flooded for the second time in a week on Sunday night.