
Week-long heat health alert issued for 6 regions ahead of 30C temperatures
LARGE swathes of England face temperatures up to 30C this week as health chiefs warn the heat could pose "serious" health risks for some.
This has prompted health chiefs to issue a yellow heat health alert lasting a full week across six regions across the country.
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The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office, means older and vulnerable people in these areas are at greater risk and may need to use NHS services more.
This is because in the heat people are more likely to suffer dehydration, heat exhaustion, and potentially deadly heatstroke.
Hot weather can also worsen asthma symptoms for some people, including increased breathing difficulties, wheezing, and coughing.
A yellow alert is the lowest, behind amber and red, on the UKHSA's system.
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It warns of a possible rise in deaths among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
Younger age groups could also be affected.
There is also a higher risk for vulnerable individuals living alone or in care homes due to overheating indoors.
Last summer, around 1,311 people in England died from heat-related causes, according to official figures - up from 870 the year before.
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After a few cooler days the mercury is set to soar to 30C across the UK later this week.
The hot weather is forecast from Thursday and set to continue into the weekend.
Stay Cool Hot Weather Bedroom Tips
The Met Office has predicted temperatures will hit 30C in London, Manchester, York, Birmingham and Cardiff on Saturday.
The health warning begins at 10am on Wednesday and runs until 10am the following Tuesday, covering the East of England, East Midlands, London, South East, South West, and West Midlands regions.
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Experts from the UKHSA are now urging Brits to stay cool and take care as the mercury climbs.
That means staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, the hottest part of the day, and keeping curtains or blinds shut in rooms that get a lot of sun, they said.
People are also being told to drink plenty of water, avoid booze, and wear loose, light clothes along with a hat and sunglasses when heading outside.
Health chiefs say you should plan exercise or dog walks for the cooler parts of the day, like early morning or evening.
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And never, ever leave children or pets alone in a parked car, even for a few minutes.

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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Ten handy gadgets for £15 or less to stay cool in hot weather this weekend
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BOILING Brits are rushing to grab these gadgets for £15 or less ahead of a sweltering weekend. With the mercury set to rise up to a glorious 30C in parts of the UK this weekend, these items could help keep the hot flushes at bay. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Brits are rushing to grab these gadgets for £15 or less ahead of a sweltering weekend Credit: Getty Here are 10 devices we recommend and where you can get them. Although it's important to shop around as you may find the same, or similar, products online for less. You can use websites like Price Spy, Price Runner and Trolley to scan the internet and compare prices on thousands of products. Cooling blanket 11 They cost just £8.99 on Amazon Credit: Amazon While many of us love basking in sunshine during the day, laying on a sweat-drenched sheet at night isn't quite as enjoyable. Read More NOT KIDDING Mum warns against giving slushies to children & the reason why is terrifying It can be difficult to switch off and catch some z's if we can't bring the temperature down in our bedroom. But, with this handy blanket, it doesn't matter if you haven't got a fan or air con. The cooling technology will help regulate your body temperature, while the thin and light-weight material makes it breathable. This makes it even more effective than sleeping with no blanket at all. They cost just £8.99 on Amazon and come in a wide variety of colours. Hat ice packs 11 At just £3.65, they're worth a shot Credit: Amazon Everyone's heard of regular ice packs, but some Brits may be surprised to learn there are plenty of special designs out there. There's even quite a few with unique shapes to sit conveniently into hats. These are sure to keep your head cool and prevent any irritating forehead sweating. At just £3.65, you can't really argue with that. Cool patches 11 These are great for kiddos trying to cool down Credit: Amazon In a similar vein to the ice packs for hats, cool patches are a fantastic portable hack. They will only set you back a tenner and are especially great for kids running about in the heat. The quick cooling technology lasts for up to eight hours, and can also be used for fevers too which makes them handy all year round. Portable waist band fan 11 It even offers a 4 in 1 USB power bank too Credit: Amazon Hand-held fans are nothing new, but this waist band tech is a game changer. By clipping the fan onto your shorts or trousers, the refreshing air blasts up under your top. This device has already proved super popular with runners and traddies who need something hands-free. At just under £14, the tech is re-chargeable, boasts three speeds, and is also wearable around your neck. It even offers a 4 in 1 USB power bank too. Cooling slippers 11 They may look bizarre but they're sure to help swollen feet Credit: Amazon These icy slippers are sure to relieve soreness of hot, tired and swollen feet. Imagine how amazing they would feel on your tootsies after a long day in the heat. They can soothe the effect of uncomfortable, rubbing or tight footwear you may have been stuck in earlier. Over 10,000 customers have hailed the £14.99 product - why not give them a try! Cooling mat 11 Amazon is selling two cooling pads for £7.49 on its website Credit: Amazon A number of retailers sell cooling mats for pets but you can get them for humans as well. Amazon is selling two packs of cooling pillow pads for £7.49 on its website and four packs for £14.99 plus a delivery fee from £4.99. The pads come with two reusable cooling gel pads that help keep your head cool overnight. You'll need to place them in the fridge for a few hours before use though. Handheld fan 11 Lidl is launching a range of Silvercrest handheld fans in stores on Sunday Credit: Lidl Lidl is launching a range of £7.99 Silvercrest handheld fans in stores, but not until Sunday (June 15). Shoppers can choose from four colours including yellow, black, white and green. The fans come with three speed settings and battery that can be recharged via USB. They also come with a three-year warranty. You won't be able to get the fans via home delivery and only in stores. You can find your nearest branch via Neck cooler fan 11 John Lewis is selling a £15 neck cooler John Lewis is selling a £15 neck cooler fan that sits on your shoulders and keeps your top half cool in the heat. It comes fully assembled with rechargeable batteries included. Out of 15 reviews on the John Lewis website, 13 are five star as well. Click and collect will cost you £2.95 though while home delivery cost from £4.50. Reusable ice cubes 11 Iceland's reusable ice cubes will save you on water Credit: Iceland Iceland is selling 30packs of reusable ice cubes for just £2 on its website. The cubes come with liquid inside and can be bunged in the freezer and used over and over again. If you are thinking of getting some from Iceland, you'll need a basket worth £25 or more to qualify for delivery. Ice towel 11 The Sukeen ice towels are ideal for keeping cool after working out Credit: Amazon Amazon is selling four packs of Sukeen cooling towels, ideal for bringing your temperature down after exercise or while on the beach. The pack costs £13.99 down from £16.99 but of course you'll be charged extra for delivery. Of the more than 33,000 Amazon reviews, 70% are five star.


Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I've been pulling my own teeth out for 8 years due to NHS dental crisis'
Patients tell how they 'don't smile out of embarrassment' and live in constant pain because they can't get an NHS dentist People are living in constant pain and too embarrassed to smile because of the collapse in access to NHS dentistry, the Mirror can reveal. Today we outline harrowing patient stories from around the country caused by the collapse in NHS access as part of our Dentists for All campaign. More than 260,000 people signed the Mirror's petition calling for NHS dentistry to be rescued and many of them have written to their local MP with their own personal stories including surviving on painkillers, struggling to eat and pulling out their own remaining teeth. They tell of calling around every NHS dentist in their area to be told they are not taking on new patients, and being quoted up to £14,000 to be treated privately. Sally Brudenell told of problems getting a dentist in North Dorset, writing: 'I am in considerable and constant pain from my teeth and dental work that is decades old. I have always taken great care and pride in my teeth but now I don't smile from embarrassment. Please help me and so many other financially poor pensioners' Lizzie Savage, from Durham, wrote: 'Please can the government invest more in dentistry for the NHS. I have been removing my own teeth over the last eight years. Eating meals is a real challenge as I then have to get my small dental kit to remove lodged food inside my gums. I am not a qualified dentist but a disabled NHS nurse.' Monica Finlay wrote to James Asser MP, her local MP for West Ham and Beckton. She said: 'I am 68 years old and retired and cannot find a dentist to carry out work on my teeth. I am a pensioner so cannot afford private dental work. I have one remaining chewing tooth which is now loose. "I find it extremely difficult to eat and will only be able to eat soft food once the tooth falls out. I think it's outrageous that dentistry is now out of the reach of most working class people who either cannot find a dentist or cannot afford dental treatment.' Mother-of-five Marquita Church, 65, from Cornwall, said: 'I alongside hundreds, maybe thousands of people over 65 who can not afford private dental treatment am losing all of my teeth. With no hope of getting dentures or any kind of help at all. Pulling teeth out yourself is a very painful experience. Not being able to smile is another level. We need NHS dental treatment now, not in five or ten years. Please, please help.' Lack of funding and the outdated payment system means most dental practices are no longer accepting new adult patients. The overall NHS dentistry budget for England has remained at around £3 billion for 15 years. This has meant a £1 billion real terms cut over this period due to inflation. It means 13 million Brits are living with an 'unmet need' for dental care according to official data. Recent polling suggested that among those who could not get an NHS dental appointment, 26% performed DIY dentistry such as yanking out their own teeth and 19% went abroad for treatment. The Mirror's petition was set up in conjunction with the British Dental Association and campaigning platform 38 Degrees. Signatories received an email notifying them of a debate on the crisis which took place in the House of Commons last month. In response, many signatories then emailed their MP to ask them to attend. Their correspondence reveal the desperation of people calling around all dental practices in their area to no avail. One such signatory was Jack Nkala who wrote to his local MP for Cambridge Daniel Zeichner MP, saying the city remains a 'dental desert'. He added: 'There are never any spaces for NHS patients like myself. I literally reduced to using one part of my jaw to chew, due to rotten teeth and infected gums.' Sandra Keeling, a 78-year-old widow from Lancashire, wrote that 'the health service is overwhelmed and requires fixing', adding: 'I'm on a very tight budget but have recently had to book an appointment with a local dentist, the earliest date is Friday, 11th July and I have had to pay £124 up front!' READ MORE: 'I pulled my own tooth out with a pipe wrench because of the unbearable toothache' David Beacham, from Derbyshire, said: 'I recently had a root and crown job done at a Matlock dentist and this cost me £320 - not a small amount. They are now private only and in future that would cost £1,750. There is no way on earth I can afford that. I currently have another tooth problem, what are we supposed to do? Grin and bear it or pull my own teeth out?' Julian Hughes, 65, from Somerset, has been a full-time carer to his wife since 2008. He said: 'I have had reason to search yet again for an NHS dentist just this week as I have a tooth that needs to be removed and is extremely painful, but to no avail. am constantly phoning practices only to be told we do not take NHS patients. They do give me a rough quote for the extraction which on top of the consultancy fee amount to over £300. I cannot afford this being a carer, what on earth am I expected to do?' One signatory was a dental practice manager from a surgery in Durham. He said: 'Every day we get between 10 and 20 calls from patients in pain who cannot find an NHS dentist. It was policy under the last government to demolish NHS dentistry to save money in the NHS however nothing has changed with the new government. "We have been contacted by patients who cannot start their cancer treatments because they need a dentist to sign them off as dentally fit before starting chemo and radiotherapy. Or consider the worsening state of children's oral health. Or consider the oral cancers being missed because patients can't get a regular exam. Not to mention life threatening swellings turning up at A&E. 'We kept our books open as long as we possibly could but eventually had to stop taking new patients. We are now in the situation that existing patients can't get appointments for weeks or even months and have no diary space for new patients. Please make a difference, please help.' READ MORE: NHS dental crisis forces desperate patients to queue down street for treatment Jacqueline Keerie, from Derbyshire, said: 'Having been a dental nurse for over 15 years and now in my 70's I never thought in my lifetime that NHS dentistry would cease to exist. I know many people who have resorted to painful extractions by themselves. I feel thoroughly ashamed that a profession I loved is in this sorry state.' Roland Randall wrote to his local MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom. He said: 'I had polymyalgia a few years ago and my GP put me on large doses of steroids for two years. As a result I lost many of my teeth and I was quoted £14,000 for dental treatment - way beyond my budget. I know many people like me, who cannot get on a NHS list or afford treatment. Something must be done.' Dentists for All campaign Save NHS Dentistry petition Sign our petition to save NHS dentistry and make it fit for the 21st century Our 3 demands Everyone should have access to an NHS dentist More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients. Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn't have their recommended annual check-up last year. Restore funding for dental services and recruit more NHS dentists The UK spends the smallest proportion of its heath budget on dental care of any European nation. Government spending on dental services in England was cut by a quarter in real terms between 2010 and 2020. The number of NHS dentists is down by more than 500 to 24,151 since the pandemic. Change the contracts A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists' contracts as 'not fit for purpose' and described the state of the service as "unacceptable in the 21st century". The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need. Have you had to resort to drastic measures because you couldn't access an NHS dentist? Are you a parent struggling to get an appointment for a child? Email or call 0800 282591 Matthew McGregor, chief executive at 38 Degrees, said: 'In every single constituency across the country, adults and children are living with the consequences of the dentistry crisis: pain, worry, and deteriorating dental health. So it's no wonder that more than a quarter of a million people - including many Mirror readers - have signed our petition to save NHS dentistry and demand urgent action from the Government. "Last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was elected on a promise to tackle the NHS dentistry crisis and reform the broken system - voters expect him to make good on that commitment. Now it's time they deliver.' A 'flawed' NHS payment contract sees dentists make a loss on some procedures and has caused an exodus to the private sector. The incoming Labour government last year promised to reform the dental contract but negotiations have been held up by the Treasury which has been reluctant to commit to a substantial funding boost. Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, said: 'Each of these horror stories is the direct result of choices made in Westminster. Rachel Reeves can consign 'DIY' dentistry to the dustbin of history but without a change in tack that's exactly where NHS dentistry is heading.' A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'This government inherited a broken NHS dental sector after years of neglect, but we are getting on with fixing it through our Plan for Change. We've already begun the rollout of 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments, and a 'golden hello' scheme is underway to recruit dentists to areas with most need – with hundreds of posts advertised. 'We will also reform the dental contract to make NHS work more appealing to dentists, and we've announced a national supervised toothbrushing programme to prevent tooth decay in young children.'


North Wales Live
5 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Swarms of monster jellyfish invading North Wales beaches with visitors warned to get prepared
Monster jellyfish are likely to wash up on Welsh beaches in growing numbers in the coming years, a marine expert has warned. With the UK currently in the grip of a marine heatwave, warmer waters will bring larger - and more dangerous - sea creatures closer to coastlines. This summer, social media has been awash with photos of jumbo jellyfish on Gwynedd's west coast beaches. In recent weeks, giants have also begun washing up on the North Wales coast in Conwy. A few have been reported on Rhyl beach, Denbighshire. On Monday, July 7, Manchester visitor Lisa Whittaker came across several on Rhos on Sea beach. Valiantly she tried to slide one back into the water but she gave up after realising it was probably dead already. Stranded jellyfish are 95% water and they rapidly dehydrate when exposed to wind and sun. 'Never in my life have I seen one like it - and probably never again,' she marvelled. 'Impressively enormous' jellyfish have also been reported on Colwyn Bay beach. Local woman Dawn Roberts was left 'shocked' by one, saying: 'Never seen one so big in my life!' All were barrel jellyfish, a British native that are the giants of the jellyfish world. Strandings are not uncommon on Welsh beaches but, anedotally, people are reporting every bigger specimens. Certainly, feeding conditions this year have been ideal. UK waters are currently experiencing their second major heatwave off 2025, with sea surface temperatures currently well above average in the Celtic Sea, English Channel and southern North Sea. Anomalies of 1.5C-3C above the 1982-2012 average have been registered, with readings of 17C-20C recorded in the English Channel. These sea temperatures are more typical of early August in the late 20th century, said the Met Office. The Marine Biological Association, and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Sciences, fear warming waters are putting marine ecosystems at risk. Harmful algal blooms are possible and species such as mussels, oysters and salmon could become stressed. Others, like bluefin tuna, sea bass, stingrays and jellyfish may thrive and expand their range. Frankie Hobro, director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, has long warned of this scenario, having seen some remarkable water temperature rises at the facility's sea intake pipe. 'We're now turning on our water chillers in May," she said. "Ten years ago it was in July. Not only are we starting them earlier, we're having to keep them going for longer.' She suspects barrel jellyfish are not getting larger – we are just seeing more of them. 'They are always big specimens out in deep waters,' she said. 'But as the sea warms they're venturing closer to coastlines, and so we're seeing more of these bigger jellyfish washing up.' Equally possible is a change in the way strandings are being reported. As North Wales beaches become busier, especially in warmer years, more shorelines sightings are likely. 'With more people going to the coast, and swimming in our waters, it's inevitable that more specimens will be seen,' said Frankie. Irrespective of size, barrel jellyfish are mostly harmless, capable of delivering a nettle-like sting at worst. Others are not, and Frankie is particularly alarmed by the growing numbers of Portugese man 'o war jellyfish being reported. 'This was once an occasional visitor, in late August and September,' she said. 'Any that washed up were usually teeny. Now they've become seasonal visitors, perhaps for several weeks, and we're seeing them earlier in the summer, pushed up by warmer currents and breezes from the Atlantic. 'They have long tentacles and their stings are nasty, very unpleasant. Unlike box jellyfish, the stings are unlikely to be fatal, but Portugese man 'o war are definitely the second nastiest jellyfish in the sea.' As Britain's seas warm, and become more dangerous, Frankie believes there needs to be a change in mindset among beach visitors. As well as wearing suitable attire, knowledge of marine first aid will have to improve. 'We've always been a bit blasé about swimming or paddling in the sea,' she said. 'Whereas people arriving here from overseas are more used to the dangers and come prepared. 'You can get sunburnt in the water very quickly and, with new threats emerging, my advice would be to always cover up.' If wet suits are not an option, then quick-drying UV rash vests should be a starting point, she said. Frankie also advises swim boots or socks. 'The surf zone, where jellyfish are spun around like a washing machine, is where you're most likely to get stung,' she said. 'Ankles are therefore the most vulnerable. 'Footwear is always a good idea not just because of weever fish in the sand, which can cause excruciating pain, but also to avoid things like razor clams and glass.' If you are stung – either by jellyfish or tiny weever fish – Frankie cautions against old wives tales. 'Peeing on the sting site is not a good idea and may make it worse,' she said. Instead, sting sites should be treated with vinegar – the acid quickly denatures sting cells. Lemon juice is another option. 'Always keep a couple of venegar sachets from chip shops in the car or beach bag,' she said. If bits of tentacles have attached to the skin, a credit card can be used to squeeze them off. Ice will help cool the burning sensation and anti-histamines will ease the pain. 'Jellyfish are sensitive to changes in osmotic pressure, so be careful not to touch them,' Frankie added. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Other emerging threats include exotics that were once occasional vagrants in UK waters, such as trigger fish, pufferfish and sunfish, said Frankie. The Shortfin mako, the world's fastest swimming shark, is already making itself more at home in the UK.