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Ready to beat the heat?

With hot weather forecast over the next few days we're asking residents to take care and prepare to beat the heat. 

The weekend is likely to be hot, with a heatwave forecast from Monday to Friday next week (11-15 July).

A good place to start is this downloadable 'Beat the Heat' checklist which provides advice on the types of homes likely to overheat, people who are most likely to be vulnerable to heat and how to cope during the hot weather.

There is also advice available from the NHS on heatwaves and how to cope in hot weather. It includes a range of top tips, many of which are simple but can be easily overlooked. These include:

• closing curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors
• drinking plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol
• keeping out of the sun between 11am to 3pm
• walking in the shade, apply sunscreen regularly and wear a wide brimmed hat, if you have to go out in the heat
• making sure you take water with you, if you are travelling

If you're planning to go into open water to cool down, take care and follow any local safety advice. The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service provides advice on how to stay safe in the water and what to do if you or someone else gets into trouble.

For more information...

The following are good sources of information and advice during a heatwave:

• Met Office forecasts
• Water Safety advice from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
• West Berkshire Council: Preparing for hot weather
• Beat the heat: keep cool at home checklist
• NHS Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather
• NHS Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

Air Quality

Heatwaves can sometimes be accompanied by smogs which can lead to high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in the air. Pollutants can also react with sunlight and increase ozone levels.

Adults and children with heart or lung problems are at greater risk of symptoms from changes to the air quality. Follow your doctor's usual advice about exercising and managing your condition. Very sensitive individuals may experience health effects even on low air pollution days.

Information on the latest pollution levels, air quality forecasts, recommended actions and health advice is available from the Defra UK-Air website or by calling 0800 556677.

Stay Cool, Save Lives

The advice on coping with hot weather is straightforward and simple to follow but can be easy to overlook when the heatwave arrives. However, it is really important.

We know that death rates rise soon after temperature increases, with many deaths occurring in the first one to two days. A Level 2 alert (which is a 60% risk of heatwave in the next 2–3 days) is triggered in South East England when temperatures are 31⁰C by day and 16⁰C by night. A Level 3 alert has been forecast for next week.

In total, 1,634 an estimated heat-related deaths occurred in summer 2021 across all ages in England. This was the fourth highest estimate of heat-related deaths since the introduction of the Heatwave Plan for England in 2004. We also know the impact of heat on mortality is not reflected in admissions, supporting the idea that many heat-related deaths occur before people come to medical attention.