Heat-risk warning as Shropshire set to sizzle

A heatwave is forecast across the county, with the mercury expected to tip the 30C mark on Wednesday.

One school has already cancelled a sponsored walk, while West Midlands Ambulance Service is on red alert for breathing problems and heatstroke.

Bosses have reiterated that people should only call 999 in cases of emergency.

Medical director Dr Andrew Carson said one of the concerns for the service was the number of call-outs to people with serious breathing problems as a result of warmer conditions. The elderly, pregnant women and young babies are among those especially vulnerable to heat.

• West Midlands Ambulance has issued advice for coping with the heatwave:

• Apply plenty of sun cream, wear a hat and light, loose fitting cotton clothes – and avoid being out between 11am and 3pm, which is the hottest part of the day

• Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, to stay hydrated. Caffeine and alcohol can have the opposite effect and can actually dehydrate.

• Ensure elderly or unwell friends and relatives are kept cool and watch for any problems they have with breathing

• The service says it is also concerned about the dangers of people swimming in open water.

• They say they expect a rise in burns from barbecues and are concerned that motorcyclists may be tempted to ditch the usual safety leathers to cool off from the intense heat

He spoke as the Met Office issued a rare Level 2 heatwave warning. It called for "alert and readiness" and is the third-highest warning that can be issued. Level 3 is "heatwave action", while Level 4 is "national emergency".

Dr Carson said: "A prolonged heatwave poses a real danger to those patients with emphysema, asthma and long-term breathing problems.

"The hot weather makes breathing difficult, even for healthy individuals.

"That's why we suggest people with respiratory illnesses should remain indoors as much as possible.

"It is vital that we get to these patients as quickly as possible and would therefore ask the public to assist us by only calling 999 in life-threatening situations."

Graham Bickler, regional director of Public Health England, said: "There is considerable evidence that heatwaves are dangerous and can kill.

"In the 2003 heatwave there were 2,000 to 3,000 more deaths than usual in England. Across Europe, there were around 30,000 excess deaths."

Letters were sent out to parents of children attending Burton Borough School in Newport over the weekend informing them of the decision to cancel the sponsored walk, which was due to take place on Wednesday.

A letter from assistant headteacher Karl Hill read: "It is with regret and much consideration that we have made the difficult decision to postpone the sponsored walk on Wednesday.

"This decision was made due to the risks associated with students walking over 12 miles in temperatures that will probably be close to 30C on the day with the risk of thunderstorms.

"The sponsored walk is a vitally important day for the school – through the PTA, the funds raised come back to the school and therefore benefits all of our students directly.

"Therefore we simply don't want to cancel the event but rather postpone it as soon as is practical. At time of writing we have chosen July 3 as the rearranged date for the event.

"Although it's still likely to be warm on that day, the temperatures are predicted to be lower, especially in the morning. There is a far less risk of thunderstorms on this day as well."

Leon Brown, meteorologist at The Weather Channel UK, said high temperatures and intermittent thunderstorms were forecast for Shropshire until Saturday, with Wednesday looking to be the hottest day of the week.

He said thunderstorms were possible on Wednesday and Friday but added that it was otherwise looking to be a week of glorious sunshine.

He added: "Today it will be clear and sunny with temperatures reaching 28C (82F) to 29C (84F).

"On Wednesday it will be very hot with temperatures 31C (88F) to possibly 33C (91F) over central England."

The record for July 1 is 34.8C (94.6F) in Jersey back in 1952 and 33.9C (93F) at a number of mainland locations in south-east England in 1976

Both records are likely to be broken this week.

There were also warnings today of possible localised flooding if the predicted violent thunderstorms come through the week.

The storms have the potential to bring substantial rainfall in a very short period of time.

This week's heatwave is likely to fade by Saturday, replaced by a cold front moving across our region from the Atlantic although temperatures are still likely to be in the mid 20s.