The mercury hit 36.9°C in Mora, Portugal on Thursday, shattering the previous May record of 36.3°C set in 2013.
Now the scorching air mass is heading north, and Britain is bracing for what forecasters warn could be the worst of the European heatwave. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat across much of England and Wales from Sunday through Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 33°C in London and 30°C in Manchester. But for millions of workers, this isn't a holiday in the sun.
It's a struggle to stay cool in sweltering homes, cramped buses, and stuffy factories. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has renewed its call for a maximum workplace temperature of 30°C (27°C for strenuous jobs), pointing out that employers still have no legal duty to turn off the heat when the thermometer hits dangerous levels. Workers are not sunbathers,"
said TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady. When the temperature soars, bosses can't just tell people to carry on regardless. We need a legal limit to protect people from heat stress, fainting, and even heat stroke."
Health experts warn that the vulnerable, including the elderly and those with respiratory conditions, face serious risks. The heatwave also threatens to lay bare the UK's divide between those who can afford to turn on the fan or air conditioning and those who must sweat it out in homes that become ovens. Energy bills remain eye-wateringly high, and many will choose between cooling and eating.
With climate scientists predicting such extremes becoming more frequent, the question is: how much more can ordinary families take? For now, the advice is to stay hydrated, check on neighbours, and try to keep cool. But for many, that's easier said than done.
