The great British bunk off: Workers and pupils stay home as 40C heatwave looms… but didn’t we all cope better in 1976 hot spell?
For 15 days in a row the sun fell on Britain and the temperature hovered at 32C (89.6F).
But it seems schools have managed to stay open and the country has mostly enjoyed record heat or simply continued to soldier on.
This was in 1976, when we were taking the temperatures, the queues at the pipes and the traffic in our stride as thousands of people made their way to the beach.
However, if we fast forward half a century during the brief warm spell, tens of thousands of children will be out of school today or out of school early.
And many workers are expected to take a day off, either heeding warnings to avoid travel or simply heading to the local park, pool or nearest beach.
While the army canceled ceremonial operations, including the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London and Windsor, to protect the ‘health’ of its soldiers, the ports were completely full days in advance.
Scorching temperatures caused by the ‘heat dome’ even closed a bridge connecting Wales and England; Monmouthshire County Council has told pedestrians they will not be able to cross the Old Wye bridge in Chepstow on Tuesday.
The recently reopened Grade I listed bridge has again become inaccessible due to high temperatures.
Swimmers and lifeguards photographed at swimming pools on London’s Hampstead Heath
People sunbathed and swam at London Fields Lido outdoor swimming pool on Tuesday
Wednesday is expected to be the warmest June day on record; temperatures will reach almost 40C in some parts of the country.
This will beat the previous record of 35.6C, set in London in 1957 and Southampton in 1976.
On Tuesday, 740 schools announced they would be at least partially closed this week.
The total is likely higher because some municipalities do not publish closures and some schools are not listed.
Many children were sent home early on Tuesday after the Met Office issued a rare red extreme heat warning covering parts of southern England, the Midlands and south Wales.
The UK Health Safety Agency has also issued a red health alert stating there is a ‘risk to life even for the healthy population’.
After-school clubs, end-of-year trips, sports days and post-exam celebrations were being cancelled. Work will be arranged for many students to complete at home.
Sunbathers on Brighton beach during the 1976 heatwave in the UK
Scene with people enjoying a heatwave on the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park in 1976
As temperatures soared that year, a man jumped into the fountain in Trafalgar Square
The highest temperature on Tuesday was 34.6C in Wisley, Surrey, while Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded their hottest days of the year with temperatures of 28.8C and 26.4C respectively.
The record temperature for May and the hottest temperature of the year so far – 35.1C – was recorded at Kew last month.
Temperatures could approach the overall record of 40.3C set by the UK in July 2022.
On Tuesday, the country’s lowest temperature – 10.5 degrees – was recorded on Fair Isle, the most remote inhabited island between England’s Orkney and Shetland Islands.
The most rain fell in Northolt, London; where 32 mm fell from the sky amid thunderstorms overnight, where 3,000 lightning strikes struck the capital in two hours.
One person sunbathed in the park as the UK prepares to experience the hottest June day on record.
It was reported that a fire broke out in two houses in London after being struck by lightning, and the city’s fire brigade received more than 400 calls in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Department for Education said it would not normally recommend schools to close in hot weather because attendance was ‘the best way for students to learn’, but said headteachers should take ‘the necessary steps to make sure children are safe and comfortable’.
Teachers’ union NASUWT called for a ‘legally enforceable maximum classroom temperature’.
However, former Ofsted inspector and ex-chairman Chris McGovern, who now runs the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘We need to get a little tougher. Learning is worth some discomfort. ‘Otherwise, schools are not doing their job.’ Network Rail has advised passengers to only travel if it is ‘absolutely necessary’.
During the 1976 heatwave, temperatures reached 32°C for 15 consecutive days in the UK.
The front page of the Daily Mail on June 26 reported 33C (92F) under the headline ‘The Heat Is Really Coming’.
Those online who remembered 1976 insisted that ‘we’re just getting started’, and one Facebook user mentioned the advice of sharing the bathroom with a friend.
