Amber heat-health alert issued

An amber heat-health alert has been issued for Brighton and Hove and the wider south east for the weekend.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 24C – or more than 75F – with lunchtime gusts of wind due to subside as the afternoon wears on. The air is expected to be relatively still tomorrow (Sunday).

The alert started yesterday (Friday 9 June) and runs until 9am on Tuesday (13 June), the Met Office said. The alert was issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

It means the effects of the heat are “likely to be felt across the whole health service … and the wider population, not just the most vulnerable”.

The alert warned of the increased health risks to vulnerable people and the increased risk of people having heart attacks, strokes and breathing problems.

Some groups are particularly susceptible to the effects of very hot weather such as older people, the very young and people with pre-existing medical conditions, according to the warning.

There was a sharp rise in the number of extra deaths – or “excess deaths” – during the summer heatwaves a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Excess deaths are the number of deaths above the long-term average for that date of the year.

Some 638 excess deaths were recorded as taking place in England and Wales on Tuesday 19 July when temperatures in Britain topped 40C (104F) for the first time.

This was the equivalent of 48 per cent above the long-term average.

A further 496 excess deaths were recorded on Wednesday 20 July – or 37 per cent above average.

During the four days from Friday 12 August to Monday 15 August, when temperatures climbed to the mid-30s, 1,120 excess deaths were recorded.

These included 348 on Monday 15 August, the equivalent of 28 per cent higher than average.