Health alert system aims to cut heatwave deaths

Image caption, A fire destroys houses in a village in east London in July 2022, at the height of the summer heatwave

Run by the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office, it is aimed at reducing illness and deaths among the most vulnerable.

UK temperatures rose above 40C for the first time last summer, the country's fourth warmest, with Coningsby, Lincs, reaching a record 40.3C on 19 July.

The system will offer regional information and advice to the public and send guidance direct to NHS England, the government and healthcare professionals.

Will Lang, from the Met Office, said the effects of human-induced climate change were already being felt on UK summers "with an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events over recent decades".

The health alerts would help save lives, protect property and the economy "as we all work to tackle adverse weather and climate change", he said.