SPEED restrictions may be required under contingency plans as temperatures are set to soar next week across the UK.
A No 10 spokesman said discussions with sectors including the NHS will “continue to work closely with all of those sectors over today, through the weekend and into early next week”.
“Specialist teams from Network Rail and TfL (Transport for London) will continue to monitor the impact of high temperatures to try and make sure they can keep services running safely and reliably for customers”, he said.
“It may be the case that speed restrictions are likely to be put in place on some parts of the network next week to manage the hot weather and to avoid any potential damage.
“DfT (Department for Transport) are engaging with port operators and highways agencies, as well as the police, to make sure plans are in place particularly in places where you may see queuing.”
TransPennine Express (TPE) said customers should avoid travelling on Monday and Tuesday if possible, and urged anyone taking essential journeys to pack water and sun cream.
Along with Avanti West Coast, the operator warned passengers to expect last-minute cancellations and delays from Sunday.
Temperatures in the UK could be set to break 40C for the first time on record, with the Met Office issuing its first ever “red extreme” heat warning for London and parts of central England.
To date, temperatures in the UK have never been recorded to have hit 39C. The highest temperature on record, 38.7C, was reached at Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25 2019.
In Scotland, the Met Office has issued an “amber extreme” heat weather warning for Scotland on Monday July 18 and Tuesday July 19. This warning impacts mainly southern areas of Scotland, including Dumfries, Peebles, Wigtown and Kelso.
Penny Endersby, Met Office chief executive, said in a sombre video shared online: “The extreme heat that we’re forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented.
Our @metoffice forecasters have issued the first ever Red Extreme heat warning for unprecedented heat across parts of the UK on Monday and Tuesday. Please take this warning seriously and take steps to keep you and those around you safe. #heatwave pic.twitter.com/vjMUsvYtbP
— @MetOfficeCE (@metofficece) July 15, 2022
“We’ve seen when climate change has driven such unprecedented severe weather events all around the world it can be difficult for people to make the best decisions in these situations because nothing in their life experience has led them to know what to expect.
“Here in the UK we’re used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun.
“This is not that sort of weather.
“Our lifestyles and our infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming.
“Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow and follow the advice.
“Stay out of the sun, keep your home cool, think about adjusting your plans for the warning period.”
