Amber heat health alerts to kick in across England ahead of fifth summer heatwave – latest news

<p>The alerts come a day after it was officially declared that there are now 11 regions in the country in drought</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2026/aug/11/uk-europe-france-heatwave-climate-crisis-drought-amber-health-alert-latest-updates-news?page=with%3Ablock-6a7abead8f0821d9ede5e4f7#block-6a7abead8f0821d9ede5e4f7">As we mentioned in the opening post</a>, amber heat health alerts come into force across most of England from 9am today and will last until 9am on Friday.</p><p>As well as a rise in deaths and likely “significant” impacts across health and social care services, here are some of the other risks associated with the amber category, as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency:</p><p>internal temperatures in hospitals and care homes may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment</p><p>the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services</p><p>indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to some vulnerable people</p><p>issues managing medicines</p><p>increased demand for power exceeding capacity</p><p>possible travel delays</p><p>water‑related incidents may increase, including risks from cold‑water shock and drowning</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2026/aug/11/uk-europe-france-heatwave-climate-crisis-drought-amber-health-alert-latest-updates-news">Continue reading...</a>