With temperatures in Paris set to hit 42°C this week, the city has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in public spaces, a move that has caught many British holidaymakers off guard. The UK Foreign Office has issued a fresh travel advisory, warning that the extreme heat poses health risks, particularly for the elderly and those with underlying conditions. But for the working class families and lads on stag dos, the ban hits differently. It is not just about a missed pint. It is about how authorities treat the public when the mercury rises.
Paris police have announced a ban on outdoor drinking from midday to 8pm in parks, squares, and along the Seine. Anyone caught with a bottle or can in hand risks a €135 fine. The move is intended to prevent heat-related hospitalisations, but critics say it targets the casual drinker while leaving upscale rooftop bars untouched. "We already paid a fortune for this holiday," said Gary, a 34-year-old factory worker from Sheffield, stuck in a queue at the Gare du Nord. "Now they tell us we cannot even sit by the river with a beer. It is not fair."
For those on lower incomes, the ban deepens the divide. Cheap alcohol from supermarkets is the go to for many on tight budgets, while the wealthy sip champagne in air conditioned lounges. "This is a class issue dressed up as public health," argued Dr. Sophie Lambert, a sociologist at the Sorbonne. "The heat does not discriminate, but the response does."
The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for France, Spain, Italy, and Greece, all of which are sweltering under a record breaking heatwave. Back home, the Met Office has issued its own warnings for southern England. The advice for British tourists? Carry water, avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm, and know local rules on alcohol. But for many, the subtext is clear: your holiday might not be as free and easy as you imagined.
This is not just a summer blip. For the one in five Britons who cannot afford to go abroad, the heatwave at home is a daily grind. Energy bills are rising, food prices are stubbornly high, and now the weather itself is becoming a luxury. "It is about how we cope when things get extreme," said Martha, a care home worker from Liverpool. "We cannot just buy a flight to Norway. We have to sweat it out."
Union leaders have called for emergency measures to protect outdoor workers. The TUC has demanded that the government lower the trigger temperature for mandatory workplace cooling breaks from 30°C to 25°C. "We see stories of people collapsing in warehouses and kitchens," said a spokesperson. "The heat is not a holiday for them. It is a hazard."
For now, the British travel advisory stands. But the real story is not about what you cannot drink in Paris. It is about who gets to stay cool and who is left to boil.
