UK's first heat-related health alert upgraded to amber, with temperatures expected to hit 30C on the weekend

8 June 2023, 18:58 | Updated: 8 June 2023, 19:02

The first heat-related health alert of 2023 has been upgraded to amber from yellow, as temperatures are expected to soar to reach 30C in some parts of the UK.

Several English regions will experience a heatwave this weekend, with the hottest day of the year so far expected.

The original yellow alert from UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office suggested that the impact of the scorching heat was expected to affect just the most vulnerable people.

The escalated amber alert means that everyone is expected to be affected by the hot weather.

The following regions have been included in the alert:

• London
• East Midlands
• West Midlands
• East of England
• South East
• South West

The UKHSA also issued a yellow alert for the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber regions.

The alerts will begin at 9am on Friday, running through to the same time on Monday.

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The amber heat health warning came as forest fires swept across Canada, causing smoke to blanket New York.

Comparing the situations in the US and the UK, LBC's Andrew Marr said on Thursday: "For everyone it's going to be stickily uncomfortable and if you think, as I do, that the climate is changing and we are now living inside the story of global warming, then quite soon you're going to ask what are our politicians doing to help."

Speaking to Andrew, Green party MP Caroline Lucas said that the government still wasn't taking climate change seriously enough.

Caroline Lucas responds to govt's attitude towards the climate

Ms Lucas, who announced she is stepping down after 13 years representing Brighton in the Commons, told Andrew: "There is a majority in the country who care very deeply about these issues, but that is simply not translated into the seats in Parliament.

"So we don’t have a government that is taking these issues with the seriousness that they deserve and which I think the people in this country want.

Describing her experience as sometimes "incredibly frustrating", she said: "There is so much positive news in terms of what we could be doing to address the climate crisis, which would also address people’s fuel bills, it would also address people’s public health.

Ms Lucas cited the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, which Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor wants to develop, as an example of the government's "perverse" attitude to tackling the climate crisis.

Environmental campaigners have claimed that developing Rosebank alone would exceed the UK's entire annual carbon budget - despite the legally binding commitment to reaching net zero.

Ms Lucas said: "When you’ve got a government that is being so perverse… then I think it’s no surprise that people like myself do feel pretty angry."

Temperatures are expected to rise on Thursday, with some parts of England expected to hit 29C on Saturday before thundery conditions, according to the Met Office.

It is also expected to become warmer throughout the night, with temperatures not dropping below 15C in some areas - compared with 3C earlier in the week.

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Dan Harris, Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: :Temperatures will rise later this week and into the weekend, with a plume of warm air being drawn in from the south.

"Temperatures over the weekend could peak around 30°C in some parts of England and remain well above average overnight through the weekend.

"Coupled with the rise in temperatures is an increase in the likelihood of some potentially heavy and thundery showers, which could bring some localised disruption for some from late on Friday and into the weekend, though it is not possible to be definitive about exact details this far from the potential event."

The Met Office has also urged people to stay out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, which is between 11am and 3pm.

It continues: "Keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun. If you do go outside, cover up with suitable clothing such as an appropriate hat and sunglasses, seek shade and apply sunscreen regularly."