Greggs pressured to shut 11 shops as employees and clients ‘not secure’ throughout UK heatwave
Greggs the bakery chain has closed 11 of its stores on Wednesday and Thursday over safety concerns amid the scorching heat, as the UK bakes in record temperatures
Greggs has shut down 11 of its shops on Wednesday and Thursday(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)
The bakery chain Greggs has shut down 11 of its shops on Wednesday and Thursday due to safety concerns amidst the blistering heat.
The wellbeing of staff and customers was cited as a factor in the decision to close the stores, which house large ovens. Employees at one London outlet reported being relocated to other branches after theirs was closed. “It’s very hot. We have industrial ovens but no proper air conditioning in stores,” one worker told the BBC.
Shops have been closed in Aldridge, Wolverhampton, Luton, Gosport, Trowbridge, Barnet, Marlborough, Wantage, Dudley, Northampton and Leicester Square, London. Greggs has been approached for a comment, reports the Mirror.
This news arrives as the heatwave wreaks havoc across Britain with over 1,000 schools shutting down due to safety concerns in the extreme heat.
Meanwhile, there has been transport chaos with railways rendered unusable by the soaring temperatures and warnings from operators not to travel unless absolutely necessary. The RAC reported that it responded to 20% more callouts to broken-down vehicles than usual on Tuesday.
Today, the Met Office extended the rare red warning for extreme heat in place for Wednesday and Thursday to the south coast of England, including Brighton, Bognor Regis, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth and Dorchester.
The Met Office has issued another amber warning for heat for Friday, covering eastern and central England, as the exceptionally hot weather looks set to persist late into the week.
The forecaster also indicated that further updates on the severe weather may be necessary as more information about the conditions becomes available.
Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, stated: “We have issued another amber warning for eastern and central England for Friday. As the forecast continues to evolve we may need to issue further updates once more detail becomes clear.”
Liberal Democrat MPs have called on the Government to immediately open air-conditioned public buildings as “cool hubs” for vulnerable individuals during the heatwave. They suggested that gyms, leisure centres, libraries and other facilities could provide respite for those particularly at risk from the intense heat.
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