Hot under the collar

A TWO-DAY heatwave and the country goes into blind panic. Trains cancelled, schools closed (as if children hadn’t lost enough education already) and nannying officials telling us to stay indoors.

Listening to apocalyptic climate change pundits and the BBC, you’d think Britain was about to spontaneously combust.

On Radio 4, presenter Katya Adler’s first question to a bemused minister was: ‘Do you agree with the UK health Security Agency that thousands could die?’

In two days? It’s true that the temperature may top 40C for the first time today, but it’s been 38.7 before without such carnage.

And looking at the BBC’s own weather forecast for southern Britain, the temperature is set to fall tomorrow and not to rise above the mid-20s centigrade for the rest of the month.

In parts of Tuscany, Andalusia and Provence it’s going to be around 40 every day for the next week, yet British tourists will still no doubt be flocking there. Will they stay in their rooms all week?

naturally most of those who want to lock down during hot spells are in the public sector. Unlike private firms and employees, they’ll still get paid.

Of course we shouldn’t be complacent about intense heat. But the risk must be kept in perspective. Our summers can be hot – sometimes very hot.

To bring the country to a halt every time the mercury spikes is a wild over-reaction.

With common sense precautions, plenty of fluid, shade and sunscreen, there’s no reason why people should die – and certainly not in their thousands. Whatever happened to keep calm and carry on?