UK weather: Flight and rail chaos as air traffic control goes down after ‘hottest temperature in recorded history’

Patients and staff will face "totally unbearable" conditions in hospitals as Britain swelters in record-breaking temperatures, public health experts have warned.

During the four heatwaves last summer Public Health England estimated there were up to 863 extra deaths.

Dr Nick Scriven warned of struggles to keep patients and those working hydrated during the summer, with staff being "so busy they cannot leave wards to find cold drinks".

A Commons select committee report last year found that NHS England's emergency preparedness, resilience and response assurance "does not account for the risk of overheating hospitals".

The Met Office has updated its severe weather alert for potential flooding over the weekend, warning that areas across the north, northeast, northwest and southeast of England could be affected.

The weather warning will be in force from 12pm tomorrow to 3pm on Sunday, although temperatures will still remain high today.

There is a small chance that homes and business could be flooded and a risk of cancellations to train and bus services, forecasters warn.

Passengers travelling from Heathrow have described conditions at the airport as “chaos” after thunderstorms caused significant delays.

Lynn Morrison shared a photo of crowds of people waiting by the check-in desks at the airport this morning. She said they had made "little progress" after more than four hours.

Laura Wallace, 55, from London, said her flight from Heathrow to Copenhagen was so delayed that she cancelled her trip.

"Although the flight staff tried their best, under-staffed, badly managed, little information and underfunded Heathrow failed on every level,” she said. "We could have flown easily with a more efficient system on the ground before the storm hit. Or taken another route to avoid the storm."​

Passengers at Heathrow airport were pictured sleeping on the floor last night after flights were grounded due to extreme weather across Europe.

The UK experienced its second-hottest day on record when the mercury hit 38.1C in Cambridge on Thursday, which also made it the hottest July day ever.

Across Europe, countries from Belgium to the Netherlands have experienced all-time highs this week with Langen in Germany reaching 42.6C.

Statista 

As climate experts warn that record-breaking heatwaves will become the “new normal” in the UK, numerous workers will likely be wondering how they will cope with sweltering conditions in the office

So, how hot does it need to be before British workers should be sent home by their employers?

Read more here:

Eurostar trains to Paris are being severely disrupted after a power failure at the Gare du Nord station.

The company's website said a cable had exploded and caught fire, meaning all power to platform six had to be shut down.

“Traffic to and from Paris is severely disrupted,” Eurostar said in a statement.

Eurostar services are also suffering delays due to speed restrictions imposed as a result of this week's heatwave. Hundreds of passengers were forced to leave a train in scorching heat when the train lost power on Thursday.​

After the UK experienced its hottest July day ever on Thursday, there is a big drop in temperatures this afternoon. 

The weather is expected to keep within the mid-20s to the low 30s range, the Met Office said. 

 The Eurostar service between London St Pancras International and Paris is the latest casualty in the transport carnage over the busiest weekend of the year.

A problem with the power supply at Paris Gare du Nord is severely disrupting services.

The train operator has cancelled two trains each way to and from the French capital, on one of the busiest days of the year.

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Network Rail are now urging passengers to check for the latest service information before they travel after earlier warning people to avoid making non-essential journeys.

Engineers worked overnight to repair damage at several locations after the temperature of steel tracks soared to up to 20C higher than the air temperature, while overhead power lines also suffered heat-related damage.

Apologising to commuters for delays and cancellations, Phil James, from Network Rail, said: "I want to say sorry to passengers for the disruption and discomfort they faced making their journeys yesterday.

He added: "Everything was done to keep trains moving where possible, and last night hundreds of staff were out fixing the damage and repairing the railway ready for today."