Cases disrupted as courts become ‘unusable’ in blistering heatwave
Legal cases in the UK were disrupted as the courts became ‘unusable’ during the third heat wave of the summer.
Britain entered its third heatwave in months on Monday, with warnings of disruption to many walks of life. South-east England officially met heatwave criteria on Monday evening after three days of temperatures above 28C, the Met Office said.
Temperatures across the UK will continue to rise throughout the week, with more areas expected to reach their local area. heat wave The forecaster added that there are thresholds.
Parts of southern England could see temperatures around 33°C on Wednesday and 34°C on Thursday, with a high of 35°C predicted for isolated areas on Friday and Saturday.
According to the forecaster, while the southern regions are already feeling the sun and warmth, the north-south divide will continue in the first half of the week.
Mr Justice Cavanagh told the jury on Wednesday afternoon that hot weather had affected some hearings and parts of Bristol Crown Court were “unusable” due to high temperatures.
This led to the defendant, Tony Bartlett, being taken to nearby Bristol Magistrates’ Court (where docks and cells were unaffected) to hear the verdict of guilty of murdering his young son, Atticus, via a video link.
Mr Justice Cavangh told jurors: “This is because the docks in this court are closed due to the heat, so he is in the courtroom in another building.”
A spokesperson for HMCTS said: “We are working with judges and partners to continue to operate safely in extreme weather conditions – this may mean moving some hearings to video if appropriate.”
Some trains have been canceled this week due to high temperatures, while others will operate at reduced speeds.
A train company has warned customers to travel “only if essential” as temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s in some areas later this week, according to the Met Office.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) said customers should try to travel before 12pm this week to avoid peak temperatures, be prepared for network disruptions and check timetable changes before travelling.
Regional services between Nottingham and Worksop and Nottingham and Leicester will be suspended from 12pm on Wednesday to reduce the impact of extreme temperatures on the railway, the company said.
EMR added that some other services were set to operate at reduced speeds for security reasons.
High temperatures can cause rails to buckle, overhead electrical cables to sag and fires at track edges, while steel rails can exceed 50C when the air temperature is 30C.
