Temperatures on the London Underground rail network reached almost 40C on Wednesday as the day was officially declared the hottest in June on record.
A provisional outdoor high of 36.1C was recorded at Gosport in Hampshire, beating the previous top temperature of 35.6C set in 1976, the Met Office said as the record was broken four times in a day.
The forecaster issued several health warnings for extreme heat, including a rare red warning that covers much of southern England until Thursday.
Many schools and offices across the country remain closed amid the hot and humid conditions.
Despite the record temperatures, commuters could still be seen in droves in central London, braving the notoriously high Tube heat.
Readings taken by The Independent on London Underground carriages showed highs of 39.4C, recorded on the Central line – one of the capital’s busiest lines.
Gemma, 24, and Jenna, 23, who work in PR in a central London office, told The Independent: “We work just round the corner, and there’s air con in the office – that made us come into work!”
Gemma said she didn’t want to cycle into the office and took the Victoria line: “The hottest one.”
“It’s always hot down there but you feel it especially on days like today,” she added. An electrical fault on the line also meant she had issues getting through the barriers in the morning.
Much lower temperatures were recorded on Tube lines with air-conditioned trains, with the Metropolitan line and Elizabeth line sitting at around 22C. But only around 40 per cent of trains are currently air-conditioned.
Andre, 55, is visiting London on holiday with his family for the week. He said: “Hottest time ever in the history of England we chose to come!
“Then we go back to Johannesburg where it’s 9C at the moment. We’re from South Africa, and we’re used to this kind of weather. But since we got here – this is crazy.”
Forecasters have said the weather event is caused by a “heat dome” which is settling over western Europe. Extreme temperatures have been felt across the continent, with human-influenced climate change named as a key factor by experts.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said on Wednesday that the capital had not adapted well to deal with climate change and temperatures approaching 40C, and asked the public to “bear with us” as they face public transport delays.
Edward, 37, told The Independent: “I’m wearing a basketball jersey right now and I’m still feeling it.”
He plans to visit his local community centre, where there is air conditioning, to get away from the heat.
“I like the way the hot weather brings people out, together, and there’s activities to do,” he said. “But there are limits, and this is pushing it. I’m enjoying it, but at the same time I’m not. It’s a gift and a curse.”
Claire Mann, Transport for London’s chief operating officer, said: “Given the red extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office for parts of the country including London, we have been working closely with other agencies, including Network Rail, the Greater London Authority and others to confirm our hot weather plans.
“Customers should be aware that, given the very high temperatures that are forecast, we are likely to see some disruption to rail and Tube services – with rail temperatures likely to lead to temporary speed restrictions and therefore reduced services in some cases.
“We encourage customers to think about their comfort and to consider whether their journey is necessary. We will do our best to run as many rail and Tube services as possible and keep customers as comfortable as possible.
“Please look out for each other while travelling. For the latest information on how TfL services are operating, customers should use TfL's real-time travel tools, including status updates, journey planner and TfL Go.”
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