Brits swelter on the hottest day of the year with temperatures reaching 35C

17 June 2022, 08:03 | Updated: 18 June 2022, 00:14

Brits flocked to beaches in their thousands to soak up the hot weather today, and the Prime Minister's wife was seen at Ascot
Brits flocked to beaches in their thousands to soak up the hot weather today, and the Prime Minister's wife was seen at Ascot. Picture: Alamy

By Asher McShane

Thousands of sun-seekers packed beaches across Britain today as the mercury soared to 34C on the hottest day of the year so far.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Temperatures reached 34C in the south east with people flocking to beaches as early as 6am.

Lidos across London were packed with early-morning swimmers and beach-goers were seen on Bournemouth beach from as early as 8.30am.

The local council said all of its car parks were full by 11.15am- as parts of the UK sweltered in temperatures hotter than Jamaica and the Maldives.

Dorset beaches busy as UK basks in hot weather

People relax in the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset
People relax in the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset. Picture: Alamy
Some people turned up at beaches from 6am to guarantee their spot
Some people turned up at beaches from 6am to guarantee their spot. Picture: Alamy

A double decker bus burst into flames in dramatic scenes this morning, sending a plume of smoke billowing over parts of London as sweltering temperatures hit.

The 333 bus caught alight after pulling into a bus stop in Brixton.

Thousands of people flocked to Britain's coastlines to make the most of the hot weather
Thousands of people flocked to Britain's coastlines to make the most of the hot weather. Picture: Alamy

One onlooker posted online: “Bus in Brixton pulled into the stop and promptly caught on fire. Huge flames & crashing as bits of it were burned off. Stay safe in the heat!”

Another witness posted a clip of the rear of the bus completely engulfed in flames.

The driver and passengers all managed to escape the bus safely before the London Fire Brigade arrived and extinguished the flames. There are no reports of any injuries.

The London Fire Brigade said in a statement: “Firefighters were called to a bus alight on Christchurch Road in Streatham Hill.

“Part of a double decker bus was damaged by fire. The driver and passengers left the bus before the Brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries.

“The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took 19 calls to the blaze.

“The Brigade was called at 9.50am and the fire was under control by 10.22am. One fire engine from Brixton Fire Station attended the scene.”

The incident happened an hour after the London Fire Brigade issued a warning over the hot weather, warning people not to discard cigarettes and matches as they could ignite rubbish and spark fires in the heat.

Away from the capital and the South East, 27-30C is expected across most of England and Wales.

Brixton: Bus catches fire on the hottest day of the year

Meanwhile, locals in Suffolk and Norfolk said on Friday afternoon that they had seen melting roads due to the heat.

One person tweeted: "Just drove over approximately 100yards of tarmac (felt like treacle, tarmac melting) in Mundesley just before coming alongside the beach (Mundesley Road)!!"

Another Twitter user said: "A road near me in Suffolk is literally melting in the heat."

A third person tweeted: "It's so hot today that the road outside work started melting."

It comes after both Doncaster Council and Lincolnshire County Council put gritters on standby earlier in the day, the grit intended to stabilise the tarmac before it was damaged by heavier vehicles.

A man takes his dog for a paddle in Hastings, East Sussex
A man takes his dog for a paddle in Hastings, East Sussex. Picture: Alamy
A family of beach-goers arrive to enjoy the sun in Hastings
A family of beach-goers arrive to enjoy the sun in Hastings. Picture: Alamy
People wore light clothing and are being advised to travel in London with bottles of water
People wore light clothing and are being advised to travel in London with bottles of water. Picture: Alamy
People enjoy the sun in Shibden Park West Yorkshire
People enjoy the sun in Shibden Park West Yorkshire. Picture: Alamy

Shade-seekers find refuge in St James' Park from record June temperatures

Read more: Everything you need to know about next week's rail strikes

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office previously issued a Level 3 Heat-Health alert for London, the East of England and the South East, meaning temperatures could affect the public's health.

This alert follows the Level 2 alert issued on Tuesday and confirms that the Met Office's threshold temperatures for an alert will be reached in three regions from Friday.

A Level 2 alert remains in place for the East Midlands and South West.

In a change designed to tackle the soaring heat, men will be allowed to take their jackets and ties off at Royal Ascot today because of the hot weather.

Organisers have also said visitors will be able to bring in water and soft drinks for the first time.

Carrie Johnson, wife of PM Boris Johnson, was seen arriving for the fourth day of the racing meet today wearing a rented Emilia Wickstead dress and an Anne Gretton jockey hat.

Carrie Johnson (right) and Sophie Pycroft on day four of Royal Ascot
Carrie Johnson (right) and Sophie Pycroft on day four of Royal Ascot. Picture: Alamy

A high of 29.5C (85.1F) was recorded at Northolt in west London on Thursday, surpassing the 2022 high of 28.2C (82.76F) recorded at Kew Gardens on Wednesday.

Highs of 26.1C (78.98F) were recorded in Cardiff, 21.4C (70.52F) was recorded in Edinburgh and 20.6C (69.08F) was recorded in Derrylin in Northern Ireland on Thursday.

While England and Wales will bask in the heat on Friday, it will be cooler in Northern Ireland and Scotland which will both be affected by rain.

Meanwhile, firefighters are warning that there is an increased risk of fires due to the heatwave.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it has already attended more than 1,430 grass and open land fires across the city this year.

This includes grassland, canal and riverbank vegetation, scrubland, parks, playgrounds, crops and woodland.

Around 350 of these were in domestic gardens and LFB said that with prolonged periods of hot weather, there is a concern these numbers will rise.

In the last five years, London's firefighters have attended almost 600 fires involving barbecues, 45 of which were on private balconies.

The Brigade's assistant commissioner for fire safety, Charlie Pugsley, said: "We want people to enjoy the glorious weather and do so safely.

"Barbecuing on dry grass is reckless and can easily cause a really serious fire - damaging the immediate area and risking nearby properties.

"We're also urging people to think twice about having barbecues on balconies.

"It's easier than you might think for a balcony fire to spread to others, which could not only leave you homeless but displace hundreds of your neighbours too.

"We're not trying to take the fun out of the heatwave, but for the sake of our city - and of our firefighters who have to work in sweltering temperatures to tackle these blazes - we'd really like people to take our advice on board.

"We're asking the public to remain vigilant and call 999 as soon as they see any signs of smouldering grass."

Firefighters are also warning residents not to risk their safety for a cooling swim.

In the last five years, crews have attended almost 300 reports of a person in water or at immediate risk of entering water.

The LFB said there were nine accidental drownings in London last year, making it the joint third highest in the UK.

The Met Office warned that there may be difficult sleeping conditions on Thursday night, with temperatures expected to stay between mid and high teens.

Forecasters said that it would be termed a tropical night if nowhere drops below 20C (68F).

Britain's highest recorded June UK temperature was 35.6C at Southampton Mayflower Park in June 1976 - and forecasters do not expect that high to be surpassed this week.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Disabled people to be given right to try working without risk of losing benefits in welfare reforms.

Disabled people to be given right to try working without risk of losing benefits in welfare reforms

Britain's Prince William, Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), and Kate, the Princess of Wales, Patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), pose for a photo with Leif Thobroe

William and Kate cheered on opposite sides at Wales v England Six Nations match

Wes Streeting MP - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care - in Downing Street 12th March 2025 - the day before NHS England was abolished.

Scrapping NHS England is ‘beginning, not the end’ says Streeting, vowing to cut hundreds of quangos

A view of the pollution caused by garbage and various wastes following the thousands of Palestinians displaced under the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel have returned to the northern Gaza Strip in Jabalia, Gaza on March 13, 2025.

US rejects Hamas’s ‘entirely impractical’ demands to implement ceasefire as talks reach impasse

Antoine Dupont and Gregory Alldritt of France lift the Six Nations Trophy after their team's victory during the Guinness Six Nations 2025 match between France and Scotland at Stade de France

France win Six Nations after beating Scotland, shattering England title hopes

The US has launched large strikes in Yemen as Donald Trump promised "overwhelming lethal force" until the Houthis cease attacks on shipping.

US launches strikes on Yemen as Trump promises 'overwhelming lethal force' against Houthis

Rich people are getting married at a way higher rate than those with lower incomes as the ‘marriage gap’ between rich and poor hits a record 51%.

'Only rich people are getting married', new research suggests, as ‘marriage gap’ widens

"I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me," Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, posted on social media.

American influencer apologises after being threatened with deportation for snatching baby wombat from mum

The Forum Chinese Restaurant

Chinese restaurant chef uses CCTV to prove 'nonsense' reviews wrong

Soccer - International Friendly - Venezuela v Nigeria

England star John Fashanu arrested over 'five crimes' as he sues police for £100,000 compensation

NASA astronauts Nick Hague, right, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore. (NASA via AP)

'Stranded' NASA astronauts set to return from nine month space mission - but what health issues could they face?

Exclusive
Jordan Stephens, Rizzle Kicks star.

Rizzle Kicks star says children 'rely' on online communities for connection as he says 'boredom' to blame for rising crime

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference in the Downing Street Briefing Room after hosting virtual meeting with international leaders to discuss support for Ukraine.

Military chiefs to meet in UK next week - as Starmer confirms Ukraine peace effort ‘moving into operational phase’

Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast in England, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian captain of Solong container ship remanded in custody following crash with US oil tanker

BRITAIN-UKRAINE-DIPLOMACY-POLITICS-DEFENCE

'Coalition of the willing': Starmer hosts Ukraine peace summit as PM urges Putin to 'come to the negotiating table'

Joanne Penney, 40.

Five charged and one arrested after fatal shooting of 'deeply loved' mother