Drivers have been warned to avoid a UK A-road after parts of it melted in the record-breaking May heatwave. The record for the hottest day in May was broken on Tuesday with temperatures surpassing 35C in London, just above the 34.8C benchmark set the previous day.
The hot weather has sparked major health warnings and travel disruption, but motorists heading to the A143 in Stanton, Bury St Edmunds, have been issued a further caution. Suffolk Highways urged residents to “avoid the area and use an alternative route until further notice” this morning, after high temperatures caused “heat damage” to the tarmac.
“Following a site inspection, we will be on site for the rest of the day applying sand and granite dust to help prevent further melting and keep road users safe,” a spokesperson said.
In a post on X, the Met Office said: “Today is now the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9C.”
The weather service said Heathrow had also provisionally recorded 35C, adding: “Until yesterday the highest temperature in May was 32.8C, but we’ve now exceeded that record on consecutive days by a full two degrees Celsius.”
The Met Office said 34C was surpassed at Bushy Park, west London, Santon Downham, Suffolk, Northolt, north-west London, Cippenham, Berkshire, and Wellesbourne, Warwickshire.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said amber heat-health alerts for the South West, South East, London, East and West Midlands and the East of England will remain in place until 5pm on Thursday, with yellow heat-health alerts for the North West and North East.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for parts of the South West, West Midlands, East Midlands and East of England between 3pm and 10pm on Tuesday.
Train services across Britain were disrupted as temperatures soared, with Network Rail imposing a series of speed restrictions on tracks to keep trains safe.
South Western Railway (SWR) said all lines on its network were disrupted “due to multiple signalling faults, track defects and heat-related speed restrictions”.
The train operator runs commuter services from Waterloo to south- west London, suburban services in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset, as well as regional services in Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.