Temperatures in some parts of England reached 35C on Tuesday, with older people, babies, and those with underlying health conditions particularly vulnerable to the heat. The UK is experiencing some of the hottest May weather ever recorded, prompting warnings from campaigners that Britain's public buildings are dangerously unprepared for rising temperatures.
Unbearable Hospital Conditions
Karl, a Methodist minister from south London, has spent nearly a week in hospital with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. While praising NHS staff, he says the ward has been unbearable at times. At one point, the thermometer in his room reached 29C, far above the NHS guidance of 19C to 23C for vulnerable patients. 'Yesterday, I was splashing water on my arms and legs to cool down because the room was just unbearable,' Karl said. 'At one point I couldn't stay in the room because I was starting to feel sickly.' Staff provided fans, ice, and ice lollies, but Karl believes urgent investment in infrastructure is needed.
Adaptation Challenges
Robert Vernon, 74, living in a retirement complex in Stratford-upon-Avon, notes that Britons struggle with sudden temperature changes. Raised in Australia, he advises neighbours to spend the hottest part of the day in air-conditioned shopping centres. 'The rapid variance is what catches people out physically,' he said.
Tahir, 58, from High Wycombe, recalls sleeping on a flat roof in Pakistan during his youth. During the 2022 heatwave, his family slept in the garden on blow-up beds. 'Whenever the temperature creeps above 30C, we decamp to the garden,' he said, though friends think he is 'bonkers.'
Climate-Conscious Design
Mary Ann Hooper, 82, from Derbyshire, stays cool thanks to a renovated bungalow with external insulation and a 'brise soleil' shading her south-facing windows. 'It's very common on the continent, but it doesn't seem to have entered into anything I've seen in this country,' she said.
Shirley, a retired grandmother in Somerset, worries about her grandchildren's future. 'When your granddaughter doesn't want to eat and can't go to the park, it brings home the legacy we are creating,' she said. She calls for better education on climate change and sustainable growth.
More than 3,000 heat-related deaths were recorded during the UK's 2022 heatwave, underscoring the urgency of adapting public buildings and homes to extreme heat.
