Health alerts issued for 7 regions as Met Office warns UK could see 4 weeks of high temperatures

Health alerts issued for 7 regions as Met Office warns UK could see 4 weeks of high temperatures UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of a rise in deaths as the Met Office revealed more than 2,700 people are believed to have lost their lives in the May and June heatwaves A new heat health alert has been issued for most of England as high temperatures are set to continue. The alert warns of "significant impacts" across health and social care services due to the high temperatures. These include a rise in deaths, a likely increase in demand for health services, an increase in water-related incidents and internal temperatures in care settings exceeding the recommended threshold. Seven regions will be affected by a yellow heat health alert from 9am Tuesday until 9pm on Friday. Only two regions - North East and Yorkshire and The Humber - will not be impacted by the alert. This comes as the Met Office said there is uncertainty over whether the hot weather last week was going to be the UK's last heatwave this summer. Stephen Dixon, Met Office spokesman, told the Mirror: "It’s simply not possible to know if this is the last official heatwave of the summer. We’re looking at the heatwave continuing through much of this week for many, though there is a forecast slight drop over the weekend, as we start to welcome more of a northerly influence. "This will only drop temperatures more towards the mid-to-high 20s Celsius rather than the current low 30s. High pressure is likely to maintain some influence through much of the current forecast period with little in the way of a marked change in the current forecast." A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by UK county between 25C in parts of Scotland to 28C in London and surrounding areas. Over the next month, temperatures are expected to remain higher than normal, the forecaster said, with some thundery showers also possible. More than 2,700 people are thought to have died during the two heatwaves in May and June due to heat-related causes across England and Wales. According to research carried out by experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, about 550 people are estimated to have died in the May heatwave, which took place between May 21 and 29. A further 2,200 are believed to have lost their lives due to heat related causes in the June heatwave between June 18 and 28. The hottest temperature during that period was of 37.7C and was recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk on June 26. Areas affected by the yellow heat health alert - North West - East Midlands - West Midlands - East of England - London - South East - South West