Suffolk first area in UK to officially enter heatwave
Suffolk has become the first county in the UK to officially enter a heatwave, after temperatures surpassed 27C for a third consecutive dayA temperature of 29.3C was recorded in Santon Downham, near Brandon, on Thursday and more hot weather is expected over the weekend.With temperatures due to reach 31C, utilities company, Anglian Water, is urging people to only use what they need over the weekend, while the trust in charge of Ipswich Hospital urged people to stay safe.It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber heat-health alert for all English regions - the first since September 2023.
Ian Rule, director of water services for Anglian Water, said while supplies were "currently in relatively good health across the region", it was asking everyone to use "a little less wherever they can". "When the weather heats up, the demand for water significantly increases which puts added pressure on the water network," he said."When everyone tries to draw on the water supply at the same time water pressure can dip, so customers may notice water can't flow from their taps as freely as usual."
Nick Hulme is the chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) which runs Ipswich Hospital."We do plan to have additional staff on at the weekend in A&E, particularly for people with respiratory and cardiac conditions because we do see a rise in people presenting with those conditions in the very hot weather," he said.He urged people to stay hydrated, wear sun cream, cover heads and check on vulnerable and elderly neighbours or family members."Of course we don't want to be killjoys - we want people to enjoy the great weather when it's here, but just to understand the associated health risks because of the impact [it can have] on them and health services," he told BBC Radio Suffolk."We're pretty stretched most of time so anything that people can do to keep the pressure, particularly, off our emergency departments will really help."
For a heatwave to be declared by the Met Office a threshold temperature needs to be met for at least three consecutive days.Despite the heat being record-breaking for 2025, temperatures are still below the June peak of 35.6C in 1976.Temperatures over the weekend are expected to remain high with places like Ipswich, Woodbridge, Beccles and Bury St Edmunds forecast to see between 25C and 31C both days.Areas along the Suffolk coast are expected to be a little cooler, however.
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