UK Heatwave: Hot weather warnings issued in south-east England
DANIEL LEALAcross south-east England, residents have been warned to take precautions as this month's heatwave continues.
Emergency services said they expected to be busier and residents were urged to be prepared and remain hydrated.
The Met Office said Thursday could have been the hottest day of the year so far, with a provisional 32.6C recording in Wisley in Surrey.
This year's record is expected to broken again on Saturday.
A UK record has been broken for the number of consecutive September days reaching 30C (86F).
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South East Coast Ambulance service (Secamb) has urged people to stay hydrated and to check on vulnerable relatives and friends.
"As the temperatures remain high we expect to be busier with pressure on our services increasing throughout the day," it said in post to X, formerly Twitter.
In another post, Secamb said it had received more call-outs to people with existing serious health conditions made worse by the heat.
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Kent County Council urged drivers travelling through Kent to be prepared and to pack plenty of water.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service reminded people be mindful of the dangers when spending time in and around open water.
"Even on a hot day, the water will be cold, which can lead to cold water shock and drowning," it said.
In a social media post, Surrey County Council said: "If you're going out, walk in the shade, apply sunscreen frequently (SPF30 or more and 4 or 5 star UVA protection), wear a hat, sunglasses & light, loose-fitting clothes."
'Availability of water'
In June, South East Water imposed a hosepipe and sprinkler ban for residents of Kent and Sussex following water supply issues.
On Friday, Douglas Whitfield, the company's operations director, said the provider had seen an increase in daily water demand due to the current hot weather.
He said: "We are pumping additional water into the network to keep up with increasing demand, and have worked hard since June to put mitigation in place to increase the availability of water across our network."
The company has been criticised in the past for outages which have occurred during periods of extreme weather.
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