Ice cream wars heat up: 99 cones now change hands for a sweat-inducing SEVEN POUNDS in Britain’s latest heatwave
As Britain’s third heatwave of the summer hits this week, temperatures aren’t the only thing set to rise.
Across the country, ice cream prices are soaring as people scramble to cool off; A single scoop of the confectionery will set buyers back just over a tenner in central London.
From a van parked outside the British Museum, aptly named ‘Delicious Ice Cream’, a simple vanilla ice cream cone with a single scoop and a flake retails for a hefty £7 – and the prices are conveniently off the menu too.
Offering both tubs and cones of the sweet dessert, the ice cream truck sells a range of flavors from mint to chocolate and gum, attracting unsuspecting tourists looking to escape the scorching heat as temperatures soar above 30C in the capital on Thursday and Friday.
Despite the eye-watering prices, museum staff standing outside confirmed that they had seen prices even higher than the price of the expensive minibus.
In a growing trend as the summer months arrive, traditional ’99’ ice cream cones with chocolate chips are reportedly on sale for an equally eye-watering £6.
It was revealed that dealers at last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone were selling 99s for £5.
A single spoonful of sweetmeat will now set buyers back less than a tenner in central London
In London, a van stopped outside the British Museum charging a whopping £7 for a simple vanilla ice cream cone with a single scoop and flake.
Aptly named ‘Delicious Ice Cream’, the van offered sweet treats in both tubs and cones to unsuspecting tourists looking to escape the scorching heat.
Museum staff stood outside and confirmed that they saw higher prices than those in the van.
The top average price of a single-scoop cone in Britain is almost £4, according to a recent study by credit card company Zable.
The most expensive place to find a single scoop is Porthmadog in North Wales, costing on average £3.85; This means one shell for a family of four totals £15.40.
Brighton came second with an average of £3.71, followed by New Brighton on Merseyside with £3.70. £3.65 in Aberystwyth.
In Bournemouth, a single spoon costs on average £3.57. It’s not too far off at Salcombe, which is sixth with an average of £3.50. A single scoop comes in at £3.38 in Whitstable, and £3.33 in Tenby and Padstow.
The most affordable location cited by the company was Barton-on-Sea in Hampshire, where it costs just £1.95 for one scoop and £3.55 for two.
Tynemouth on North Tyneside was ranked second cheapest; buyers paid an average of £2.28 for a single scoop of ice cream. In third place is Ilfracombe in Devon, where prices are two pence more expensive on average at £2.30.
Portree in Scotland came third at £2.30 for a single scoop, followed by Saltburn in North Yorkshire at £2.37. Coming in fifth place was Whitby in North Yorkshire, where a scoop of ice cream costs £2.38 on average.
In recent years, mobile operators’ personnel wages, energy and fuel prices, as well as packaging and environmental compliance costs, have increased significantly.
The exorbitant prices come as southeast England experiences the hottest days of the summer’s third heatwave, with temperatures reaching as high as 36C
Zable product manager James Goforth said ice cream prices can vary ‘significantly’ by location.
Mr Goforth said: ‘In the most expensive destinations, a simple treat for a family of four can cost up to £15 each for a single scoop – and that’s before you take into account travel, parking, food and everything else that comes along with a day at the beach.
‘Some of the smallest seaside villages in the country charge prices competitive with the most visited coastal cities; It’s a reflection of how limited competition, rather than tourism demand alone, can shape what we pay for something as simple as ice cream.’
The hot weather also led citizens to eat sweets.
The exorbitant prices come as southeast England experiences the hottest days of the summer’s third heatwave, with temperatures reaching as high as 36 degrees.
The heat wave officially hit on Monday, and meteorologists say it could last for up to 14 days in some areas.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) issued amber and yellow temperature health warnings for the Midlands and southern England on Thursday, with temperatures rising to a sweltering 35C in some areas.
The soaring temperatures follow last month’s scorching heatwave, when the record temperature for June was set at 37.7C at Lingwood in Norfolk on Friday (June 26).
This follows a record heatwave in May, when scorching temperatures of 35.1 degrees were reached in London’s Kew, breaking the previous peak of 32.8 degrees set in 1922.
