Killer heatwaves that caused thousands of deaths this summer could be here to stay, experts fear. Nearly 3,000 people died in England as a result of the surge in temperatures in May and June alone.
And record numbers of people were admitted to A&E during the May and June heatwaves, government figures show. Climate expert Bob Ward told the Daily Star: “This summer is expected to have been the deadliest in terms of lives lost due to hot weather.
“The heat this summer is part of a trend due to climate change, and so we will need be better prepared in coming years if we do not want to see many more thousands die.”
This summer was the hottest on record and there were an estimated 2,877 heat-associated deaths in the space of just two months. There were an estimated 753 heat-associated deaths during May and a further 2,124 from the June heatwaves.
The mercury reached 26.5C in June, with an average 266 heat-related deaths per day during the eight-day heatwave that month.
Mr Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said: “The figures show the scale of deaths in England that resulted from heatwaves in May and June. However, there were also heatwaves in July and August that likely also killed many people.”
Meanwhile, NHS statistics shows there were more 2.46 million attendances at A&Es in England in May, the highest on record for any month at the time. And in June there were 2.44 million, the second highest number on record. But those records were smashed in July when there were 2.49 million attendances at A&E departments across the country.
Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said the figures show how much of an additional burden is placed on the NHS due to the extreme heat. She said: “I have made clear that we must start planning for summer pressures in the NHS in the same way we do for winter.”
Gareth Redmond-King, of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “These numbers confirm what the summer of 2026 has brought very sharply into focus – extreme heat is a growing threat to lives in the UK, as we continue to heat our planet by burning oil and gas, and adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
“If we don’t speed our way to net zero emissions – the only solution to bringing our climate back into balance – then this hot and dangerous summer will be one of the coolest of the rest of our lives, and the extreme heat will kill more and more people, particularly the most vulnerable.”
Experts also believe the heatwaves will put workers and infrastructure under “significant strain”. A study by UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association found 52% of Brits think rising temperatures will affect their productivity, which could wipe billions off the economy.
CEO James Alexander said: “The government needs to address these impacts by continuing to reduce our emissions while preparing the country for a more hostile climate in the years ahead.”