UK June heat record broken for third day in a row as ministers urged to act

People drink and fill water bottles at a fountain in a London park. The temperature rose to 36.9C in Suffolk. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA View image in fullscreen People drink and fill water bottles at a fountain in a London park. The temperature rose to 36.9C in Suffolk. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA UK June heat record broken for third day in a row as ministers urged to act Plans to protect people fall ‘far short of what is needed’, government told, as MP warns of heatwave deaths UK politics live – latest updates The UK government is facing increasingly urgent calls for action to protect people against the intensifying effects of the climate crisis, as the highest maximum temperature record for June was broken for the third day in a row. With the country in the grip of the worst heatwave ever recorded in western Europe – a direct result of global heating – the chair of parliament’s environmental audit committee warned ministers of the urgent threat and said the UK was falling “far short of what is needed”. Toby Perkins said a significant number of deaths were likely as a result of the current heatwave. Previous heatwaves have killed thousands. He also warned of “devastating” effects on hospitals, care homes and schools, as well as transport, water, food and IT systems. Perkins demanded answers from the environment secretary , Emma Reynolds, on how the government planned to tackle overheating in buildings and for its views on establishing maximum workplace temperatures, prescribing air conditioning for vulnerable people and changing school timetables. Others have warned of danger to children in baking classrooms and of losses of hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy. The highest maximum temperature record for June was broken three times this week, peaking at 36.9C in Wattisham, Suffolk, on Friday, up from 36.7C at Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday. Graph of maximum June temperatures in UK for each year Perkins said: “This week parts of the UK are facing a level of extreme heat that was once unthinkable. The effects of such extreme heat can be disruptive and devastating. Economic productivity will be hit, but more importantly we will likely see a significant number of deaths as a direct result of the current heatwave.” He added: “The evidence could not be clearer that extreme heat is an urgent threat to the UK. Yet the government is currently falling ‘far short of what is needed’, according to its independent climate advisers.” The Climate Change Committee has warned for more than a decade that the UK’s plans to protect people from rapidly worsening extreme weather are inadequate. It estimates that 92% of existing homes will overheat within about 20 years. In May, the CCC said the UK was “built for a climate that no longer exists” and needed urgent changes to survive global heating. Perkins said: “Taking action carries a significant cost. But the cost of doing nothing is far, far greater.” Emma Howard Boyd, the chair of the National Heat Risk C