Health agency issues heat alert in England

LONDON: English health officials on Monday issued a heat-health alert for England in anticipation of temperatures rising above 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) this week following a month of record-breaking heat.

The alert, designed to help healthcare staff manage through periods of extreme temperature that can affect the public, will be in place from midday on Tuesday until 1800 local time (1700 GMT) on Saturday, the UK Health Security Agency said.

The alert came after a July in which Britain recorded its highest ever temperature, of just above 40C, spurring wildfires that destroyed properties and resulted in the busiest week for London's fire brigade since World War Two.

Temperatures are set to rise into the low-to-mid 30s C in the coming days below the extremes reached last month. But in many regions in England and Wales this is still likely to meet the thresholds for a heatwave, Britain's Met Office said on Monday.