London Emergency Service records highest number of emergency calls as heatwave grips UK

The London Ambulance Service responded to a record-breaking 642 life-threatening emergency calls on Wednesday, marking the highest volume of category one incidents ever recorded by the organisation.

These calls cover the majority of critical cases, such as cardiac arrests and patients who have stopped breathing.

CEO Jason Killens KAM, attributed the surge to searing temperatures in the capital, praising staff for pushing through harsh conditions to deliver care.

He urged Londoners to support the effort by looking after themselves and those around them - staying out of direct sunlight and drinking plenty of fluids.

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Wednesday also ranked as the fifth busiest day in the service’s history overall, with almost 7,900 calls logged and crews attending close to 3,600 patients across the city.

A 50-year-old man died after struggling in the water at a Welsh beach on Wednesday, police have confirmed.

South Wales Police were called to Aberavon beach at approximately 4.25pm following reports of a man requiring urgent medical assistance in the water.

Coastguard officers carried out CPR while awaiting the arrival of an air ambulance and paramedics.

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The man, who was from Cilfrew in Neath Port Talbot, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.50pm.

Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious, and his next of kin have been notified.

Extreme weather conditions have also triggered widespread disruptions to hospitals across the country.

Several true incidents were declared critical incidents after cooling systems powering MRI scanners, operating theatres, and laboratories broke down under strain.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), as well as Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, were particularly affected, with approximately 254 outpatients cancelled so far.

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust explained that the failure of chiller units has pushed temperatures up across several areas, disrupting both digital systems and clinical services.

The situation has renewed warnings that Britain's infrastructure was not built.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, speaking at London Climate Action Week, said the city was “cooking”.

He also warned the world faces “a climate crisis pushing us deeper towards higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points”.

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