England heat alert: who is at risk before Saturday

The current heat alert remains a practical health and safety issue for parts of England today, not just a temperature story. Yellow heat-health alerts are in force for the East of England, London and South East England until 8pm on Saturday 30 May, with older people, those with health conditions, carers, parents, commuters and open-water swimmers needing extra caution.

Readers in affected areas should check the latest local heat-health alert before making weekend plans, keep an eye on vulnerable relatives or neighbours, and use NHS 111, pharmacies or GP services for non-life-threatening problems. Call 999 only for serious or life-threatening emergencies.

Yellow alerts cover London, the East and the South East until Saturday

The UK Health Security Agency’s heat-health dashboard shows yellow alerts running from 4pm on Thursday 28 May to 8pm on Saturday 30 May for the East of England, London and the South East.

A yellow alert does not mean every service will be under severe pressure. It means the weather is expected to cause minor impacts across health and social care, especially where indoor spaces become warmer and vulnerable people struggle to cool down.

The alert also flags a higher risk of water-related incidents. That matters for anyone planning to swim, paddleboard or cool off in open water, especially after a very hot spell when rivers, lakes and coastal areas may look more inviting than they are safe.

Record May heat has already increased pressure on services

The Met Office says Kew Gardens provisionally reached 35.1C on Tuesday 26 May, which would break the UK May and spring temperature record for a second consecutive day if validated. Heathrow provisionally reached 35.0C, while Cardiff Bute Park reached 32.9C.

The record remains provisional until formal validation, but the health impact is already visible. ITV News reported that South Western Ambulance Service recorded its busiest day on record on Tuesday 26 May, responding to almost 4,000 incidents, and handled 18,206 incidents between Friday and Tuesday, up from 14,684 in the same period last year.

Who needs extra care in this heat

Heat can affect anyone, but risk is higher for people who are less able to cool themselves or respond quickly when symptoms develop.

Watch more closely for:

• Older people, especially those living alone.
• Babies, young children and pregnant people.
• People with heart, breathing, kidney or mental health conditions.
• Anyone taking medicines that affect hydration or temperature control.
• Outdoor workers, commuters and people in warm indoor rooms.

Signs of heat exhaustion can include dizziness, headache, tiredness, heavy sweating, nausea, muscle cramps or intense thirst. Move the person somewhere cooler, help them drink water and cool their skin. Seek medical advice if symptoms do not improve or if you are worried.

What to do today before the alert ends

Keep the most useful steps simple. Drink regularly, avoid the strongest sun where possible, close curtains on sun-facing rooms, and use cooler morning or evening hours for essential journeys.

Check on anyone who may not ask for help. A short call or visit can identify problems early, such as a hot bedroom, low fluid intake, missed medication or confusion.

For non-emergency health concerns, use NHS 111, a pharmacy or your GP route. For chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, collapse, confusion that does not improve, seizures or other serious symptoms, call 999.

For open-water activity, do not swim alone, avoid jumping into cold water suddenly, check local safety advice and stay away from fast-moving or unfamiliar water. The next important check is whether the UKHSA dashboard changes the alert level or affected regions before Saturday evening.

Source: UK Health Security Agency