Fry-day that had snow flakes in meltdown!
■ Millions bask on glorious day that’s hottest of year ■ But killjoy officials spoil fun with petty ‘safety’ warnings ■ Dorset council slaps two drink limit on beach goers ■ And Gary Lineker tweets grim global warming lecture
IT was a glorious start to the weekend that saw most of us reaching for our swimsuits and suncream. But that didn’t stop some killjoys from trying to spoil the fun in the sun.
Local authorities were ridiculed in parts of the country after imposing a slew of strict rules and regulations.
Former England footballer Gary Lineker was also accused of hypocrisy after using the high temperatures to post a grim warning about climate change.
The mercury reached a high of 32.7C (91F) yesterday – the hottest of the year so far – with thousands flocking to parks and beaches across the country.
But one council in Dorset was accused of ‘nannying’ after slapping a drinks limit on one beach bar – which has now been forced to shut up shop.
The Hawaiian-themed Beach Hut Bar and Grill in Bournemouth said it had not been allowed to serve customers more than two alcoholic drinks, play loud music or host hen and stag parties.
Owners of the pop-up bar said the licence conditions – imposed by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council – had left them with ‘no choice’ but to close after just ten weeks. Councillor Beverley Dunlop said the
Gary Lineker
Lots of experts on here thinking it’s just a warm couple of days in summer. I prefer to read actual real experts in their field.
decision was ‘ unfortunate’. Another council in Leicestershire was ridiculed after it asked residents to put their bins out at 6.30am so binmen did not have to work in the heat. Officials at Blaby District Council were accused of ‘pampering fully grown men’ with residents pointing out that many people would have been working in sweltering conditions yesterday.
A council spokesman said it wanted to reduce the time its bin collectors would be out in the ‘extreme heat’.
BBC pundit Lineker also found himself on the receiving end of an online backlash after he compared those enjoying the weather to cancer patients.
He said the hot weather was further evidence of climate change, tweeting: ‘Another heatwave over Europe and elsewhere. Records broken year on year. We’re like a cancer patient who knows there’s a tumour, but prefers to ignore it and hopes it goes away, even though it gets larger everyday.’ However his tweet sparked controversy with boxer Curtis Woodhouse replying: ‘Gary Lineker flying all over the world watching football, preaching about climate change. They have some brass neck on them don’t they.’
Tweeting a graph, Lineker added: ‘Lots of experts on here thinking it’s just a warm couple of days in summer. I prefer to read actual experts in their field.’
The UK’s Health Security Agency issued a rare level three ‘ heat-health alert’ yesterday as thousands of Britons made the most of the sun
Thousands of people packed the seafront in Bournemouth where a welcome sea breeze brought the temperature down to a slightly cooler 26C ( 79F). Many also flocked to the coast in Devon while, at Royal Ascot, organisers relaxed the strict dress rule.
Up in Doncaster, temperatures of 21C (70F) did little to cool animals at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. However, further north in Glas
gow, the outlook was less bright with rain across the city.
The highest temperature of the day was recorded at Santon Downham, Suffolk, while in London a high of 32.4C (90.3F) was recorded at Heathrow. But it is not the hottest June day on record, which was 35.6C (96F) and recorded at Southampton Mayflower Park in 1976.
However, the three-day heatwave will come to an end today with forecasters predicting rain, thunderstorms and temperatures of just 15C (59F). Stephen Dixon, spokesman for the Met Office, said a cold front coming in from the North will bring much cooler temperatures and rain for much of central England and Wales.