BRITAIN’S IN MELTDOWN!
... but at least Vanilla Camilla and Dame Judi keep their cool
DOCTORS shut their doors, trains went on a go-slow and unions said it was too hot to work as Britain went into meltdown yesterday.
In 31C (88F) heat, patients passed out in sweltering hospitals and farmers warned of crops parched to the bone.
And there are fears that rail tracks will buckle and roads melt if temperatures reach a predicted 35C (95F) by Friday.
As the reaction to the heat was condemned as another symptom of the modern ‘snowflake mentality’:
Council chiefs put their staff on high alert and urged residents to check on vulnerable neighbours;
Argos, Currys and John Lewis were struggling to keep up with demand for fans;
Workers at a sun cream factory in Manchester were put on overtime;
British seas were warmer than the waters off the Californian coast;
Public events around the country were cancelled due to the heat.
The UK is in the grip of a global heatwave: wildfires have killed 76 in Greece, Sweden is suffering a record drought and dozens have died from extreme temperatures in Japan.
Andrew Percy, Tory MP for Brigg and Goole, said: ‘How is it that people in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the southern states of America manage to function perfectly well in heat and humidity well beyond what we are experiencing
now? This is all symptomatic of the snowflake mentality – we need to be a little bit more resilient. We can’t deal with the cold and we can’t deal with the warm.’
Dawn Yeaman summed up the attitude of many members of the public when she tweeted: ‘What is it with all these heat warnings? It’s a bit of sun! Is it not common sense to pop some cream on and increase your fluids? Or am I missing something?’
But nurses warned yesterday that patients were passing out and vomiting in the heat as wards hit 30C and higher.
Some hospitals are not equipped with air conditioning, leaving people who are already very ill battling sweltering temperatures. The Royal College of Nursing said many nurses were unable to stay hydrated on wards that did not allow water bottles, with no time to take breaks because of understaffing.
Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: ‘Admission levels are high, and as a personal example, our unit had winter levels of activity yesterday with a lot of respiratory symptoms presumably due to air quality.’
According to the price comparison web- site LovetheSales.com, the average price of electric fans and designer sunglasses has gone up by as much as half in recent days.
It said a Swan retro 12-inch desk fan cost £69.99 yesterday, up from £47.95 last week and a Dyson AM09 fan and heater had gone up from £336 to £389 over the same period.
Network Rail has introduced temporary speed restrictions for trains due to the heat, leading to delays and cancellations in Teesside yesterday, and in Suffolk and Essex on Monday. A spokesman said steel rails in direct sunshine could be as much as 20C above air temperature – causing them to expand and buckle.
The RAC said roads might begin to soften in the extreme heat, causing surfaces to become sticky, which can lead to cars losing grip.
Garlinge GP surgery near Margate in Kent has shut its doors until at least Friday because temperatures were ‘unacceptable for patients and staff’. It said patients would be seen at the Limes Medical Centre two miles away instead.
And the Trades Union Congress called on employers to relax dress codes and allow flexible working hours, so staff could travel in earlier or stay late to avoid the ‘sweltering’ rush hour.
It said bosses should also distribute fans, provide portable ‘air-cooling cabinets’ and allow staff to take frequent breaks to avoid dizziness, fainting and heat cramps.
London Underground staff urged bosses to allow them to wear shorts in temperatures they said were approaching 40C (104F). Passengers also complained about the cramped sweaty conditions, with one commuter writing on Twitter they felt like they were ‘going to die’ on the Central Line.
Dog shows were cancelled after the RSPCA warned against exercising pets during the hottest parts of the day, saying they risked burning their
paws on scorching pavements. And jumping events at an equestrian show were scrapped because the ground was too hard. Organisers of the 124th Framlingham Horse Show in Suffolk on Saturday said riders and horses could be injured. Onion growers are warning that this year’s harvest is likely to be down 25 per cent. Tim Elcombe, who is chairman of British Onions, said: ‘Growers and their staff have been working round the clock to keep crops irrigated, however there are a number of areas of the country where water abstraction is being limited and their own reserves are very low. Crops without irrigation are dying.’ The heatwave prompted a warning from the Met Office and health chiefs for the public either to avoid the sun altogether, or at least stay indoors between 11am and 3pm. But the advice was rejected by tourism chiefs and MPs, who accused officials of ‘nannying’ and urged people to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts – thunderstorms are predicted for Friday. The Met Office said the first half of the summer had been the driest since 1961 leaving farmers saying crops were parched to the bone.