General speed restrictions will be in place on all rail lines, with train operators and Highways England warning the public not to travel. The Met Office said that “in general” it would be safer for people to stay indoors if possible. Some surgeries and surgeries have already closed as hospital bosses warned that the extreme weather conditions were making it difficult for services to run. Business centers in areas covered by the red severe weather warning will also be closed. Schools in several counties, including Nottinghamshire and Hampshire, have confirmed they will close for two days following health alerts. Others have reduced hours amid Met Office warnings that temperatures will soar to highs of 38C and 40C in some areas. The UK’s first red extreme heat warning covers much of England from London to Manchester and York on both Monday and Tuesday and the UK’s Health Service has issued a level four heat health warning. which is described as a “national emergency”. Tracy Nicholls, chief executive of the College of Paramedics, warned the “savage heat” could kill people. But Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, said the country needed to be resilient enough to withstand the pressures of the heat and urged people to “enjoy the sun” as long as they took “common sense” precautions. David Davies, a senior Tories player, said: “Obviously if you’re at risk, if you’re a young child or an elderly person or have some other condition, take care and obviously wear hats and sunscreen and use the shade. But humans exist in Mediterranean climates and handle it. So if we use common sense we can do the same.” Another senior Tory MP said he believed the public health messages were “overblown and terrorizing of the worst kind”.
