Londoners and tourists are being advised they can take refuge in libraries, museums and churches as the capital roasts in scorching temperatures.
Locations such as the British Library, Southwark Cathedral and the O2 Centre have all been listed as “cool places” by City Hall as locations where people can escape the heat.
The Greater London Authority has created a database of indoor spaces as well as parks with shaded seating and drinking water to help protect people.
Parts of west London saw some of the hottest weather in the country on Tuesday. Temperatures peaked at 33.4C in the UK
The highest readings were recorded in Benson, Oxfordshire, Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, and Northolt in west London.
An amber heat alert and a high air pollution alert are both in place on Tuesday due to the hot weather.
London is set to enter its fourth heatwave of the year, with temperatures once again expected to pass 28C for three consecutive days.
The London Ambulance Service has warned that it is expecting a very busy period for the emergency services due to the heat.
The LAS asked Londoners to take extra care and to check on elderly relatives and neighbours.
Homeless charity St Mungo’s has also warned that the soaring temperatures can be deadly for those sleeping rough.
James Lally, Director of Pan and Central London and Street Homeless Services at the charity, said: “On the streets, it can be difficult to access water, sunscreen, and places to shelter from the sun, meaning that those experiencing homelessness have a particularly high risk of developing life-threatening heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion, dehydration, or heat stroke.
“It is right to treat this current heatwave as an emergency. As ever, St Mungo’s teams are prepared to respond to this critical situation.”
The charity said people can help those sleeping rough by offering water and sun cream, and it has increased the number of its outreach shifts taking place due to the heat.
Meanwhile, National Rail warned that the hot weather may cause trains to be disrupted, explaining that heat can cause overhead lines to expand and sag, create line-side fires and cause rails to buckle.
The hottest areas of the capital were revealed earlier this summer by global built environment engineering consulting firm Arup, which used AI and satellite imagery to highlight the capital’s urban heat islands (UHI).
The Arup team analysed London’s UHI during the evening of July 19 2022, a day when UK temperatures hit 40C for the first time on record.
Some communities, including Hackney and Lambeth, were on average several degrees higher than places just a short distance away.
But areas such as Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets were able to benefit from being close to large green spaces, including Battersea Park and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Kilburn in Camden was the hottest neighbourhood with temperatures 7C higher than in Regent’s Park.
Meanwhile, Hyde Park and the Isle of Dogs were some of the city’s coolest spots with temperatures up to 8C lower than places nearby.
