South East braces for heatwave in Kent, Sussex and Surrey
BBC News, South East
Eddie MitchellTemperatures may exceed 30C in parts of south-east England on Thursday amid a heat health warning.
An amber heat health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) came into effect on Thursday at noon and is expected to remain in place until 09:00 BST on Monday.
Temperatures are expected to reach further highs on Saturday, according to forecasters, with BBC Weather predicting highs of 31C in Guildford, Surrey, and 30C in Canterbury, Kent, and Crawley, West Sussex.
UKHSA warned of an impact on health and social services, possible travel disruption and increased demand for power exceeding capacity.
The alert, covering all of England, also warns of the risk of a “rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions”.
A previous yellow alert – the least severe, followed by amber then red, on the UKHSA’s system – came into effect on Wednesday.
The South East’s previous temperature high in 2025 was 29.1C, which the Met Office recorded in Chertsey in May.
Emily Coady-Stemp/BBCIn Camberley, Aatif Butt told BBC Radio Surrey he was “enjoying” the warm weather.
“I think the weather is very good over here compared to the Middle East”, where he was born and brought up, he said.
His partner, Amna Ameer, said their family was “feeling good” due to the heat after winter.
Mr Butt added, however, that they “definitely” would not be going out with their young son during the heat alert.
Emily Coady-Stemp/BBCFellow local resident Irene Byrne said it concerned her when she heard it was going to get hot.
The 77-year-old said going out earlier in the morning and resting later in the day “seems to work”.
She said she was planning to open windows, keep her curtains closed and hydrate regularly to help her stay cool.
“You don’t want it getting too hot,” she said.
“It probably worries me more than it satisfies me.”
Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense and last longer because of human-induced climate change, experts have said.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.