Experts have warned that thousands of people could die during the heat wave next week, when temperatures are forecast to reach dangerously high levels. The Met Office issued its first red warning for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday and warned that lives could be at risk as the mercury looks set to reach 40C. A second emergency COBRA meeting was held on Saturday, after which Cabinet Secretary Keith Malthouse urged Britons to do “neighbourhood” and check on the most vulnerable. Health officials fear that those living alone on upper floors are among those most at risk, as was the case during the deadly heatwave that scorched Paris nearly 20 years ago. Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office, described “the extreme heat we are forecasting at the moment is absolutely unprecedented”. In a somber video shared online, he added: “Here in the UK we are used to treating a hot spell as an opportunity to go and play in the sun. It’s not that kind of time.” Our @metoffice forecasters have issued the first extreme red heat warning for record-breaking heat in parts of the UK on Monday and Tuesday. Please take this warning seriously and take steps to protect yourself and those around you. #heatwave pic.twitter.com/vjMUsvYtbP — @MetOfficeCE (@metofficece) July 15, 2022 Monday’s forecast (Image: Met Office) Tuesday is set to be even hotter (Image: Met Office) The heat wave is set to reach a dangerously high peak (Image: Alamy Live News. ) The world has been urged to look out for those most vulnerable to extreme heat (Image: Yannis Alexopoulos/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock) The schools announced they would be closed on Monday and Tuesday, telling students they were “unable to maintain the temperature in many of our rooms at an acceptable and safe level.” People have also been urged not to travel because the scorching temperatures could melt highways and rail lines. Bob Ward, director of policy at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, told the Guardian: “We could see 1,500 to 2,000 deaths from this one heatwave alone.” Professor Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, told the paper: “I think that, assuming the weather forecasts are roughly correct, it is very likely that there will be hundreds or thousands of excess heat deaths in the next few days. “It is likely that because there have been so many warnings of the coming high temperatures, people and businesses will take more precautions than they normally would in a heat wave, which could reduce the number of excess deaths. I hope that will happen, but I fear that there will still be excessive death on a large scale.’ Speaking to LBC, the government’s former chief scientist Sir David King said it was “quite likely to be the hottest heat wave we’ve experienced in the UK”. He said: “If you’re even in the shade in 40°C heat and 80% humidity, you won’t live long. You just can’t get rid of too much heat.’ To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Sir David added that his advice would be to “stay at home” and recalled the 2003 heatwave in France in which 15,000 people died. The expert told host Matt Frei: “You’re reporting numbers of thousands of deaths. “I’m afraid the excess deaths on Monday and Tuesday should be expected to be around that range – a few thousand to 10,000.” Daytime temperatures on Saturday are forecast to be around 27°C in London, 26°C in Cardiff, 23°C in Belfast and 21°C in Edinburgh. On Sunday, it could reach 30°C in the capital, 27°C in Cardiff, 24°C in Belfast and 23°C in Edinburgh. To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Temperatures are forecast to rise several more degrees on Tuesday – into the mid-30s for much of England and Wales. There is a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C somewhere in the UK, most likely along the A1 corridor that runs from London to Scotland through counties including Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and the North East, the Met Office said to issue its first red warning for excessive heat. The UK’s Health Safety Agency has raised its heat warning from level three to level four – a “national emergency”. Level four is reached “when a heat wave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend beyond the health and social care system… At this level, illness and death can occur among people who are fit and healthy, and not only in high risk groups,’ he said. The UK could see its first recorded temperature above 40°C (Image: earth.nullschool.net/SWNS) Meanwhile, Brits are scrambling to buy fans and looser clothing to help them stay cool during the heatwave. Retailer Toolstation said fan sales are up 641% in the past week compared to the previous week as retailers struggle to stay cool. The company also said sales of builder shorts have increased by 50% and T-shirts by 35%. Fire services, including South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the London Fire Brigade, have issued safety warnings, urging people to act responsibly. They warn people to dispose of barbecues, lit cigarettes and glass bottles responsibly, not to burn rubbish such as garden waste and use local authority services and that barbecues should not be used on balconies or near sheds, fences, trees, bushes and garden waste to avoid anything catching fire. They also urge people who cool off in waterways to be aware of cold water shock. 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