As Britain endures its third heatwave of the summer, up to two thirds of people say they are struggling to sleep during sweltering ‘tropical’ nights.
The latest spell of hot weather could bring highs of up to 35C (95F) by the end of the week and today’s temperatures are set to climb above 30C (86F) in southern England.
Amber heat health alerts apply between tomorrow morning and Saturday evening covering all of southern England, East Anglia and the Midlands.
Now a poll by environmental group Greenpeace suggests the country is not only struggling to cope by day but also suffering ‘mass sleep deprivation’ from extremely warm nights.
According to forecasters, tomorrow and Thursday nights could count as ‘tropical nights’, when temperatures in the warmest areas could remain in the 20s Celsius (low 70s Fahrenheit) – more usual for a fine summer’s day.
The YouGov poll of 2,135 people for Greenpeace found two in three people struggled to sleep during June’s heatwave, with almost half of people saying they lost at least three hours’ of sleep a night.
Other findings included 86pc of people saying their homes had been too hot while a quarter said they or a household member had felt physically unwell.
About one in five said they had cancelled plans because of the heat.
Broadstairs beach’s idyllic-looking golden sands today as temperatures began to build
Met Office forecasts show how daytime temperatures are due to climb during the week
More than half said their homes needed retrofit upgrades such as air conditioning to cope with future heatwaves, but 78pc said they would struggle to afford them.
Almost half of people said they would support a levy on highly polluting companies to fund improvements.
Some 60pc of people said their workplaces were too hot and 1:10 felt working conditions were unsafe.
Mel Evans, the head of climate at Greenpeace UK, said: ‘The poll exposes the brutal reality of dragging our feet on climate action, such as mass sleep deprivation.
Soaring temperatures by day mean very warm nights, leaving people struggling to sleep
‘Heatwaves are now a creeping health, housing, and economic emergency that is costing families money they don’t have.’
Dr Laurence Wainwright, of the University of Oxford said: ‘Sleep is greatly impacted during heatwaves.
‘The implications are significant: a drop in work performance, an increase in accidents, lower school test scores [and] a decline in mental health.’
Britain’s warmest June temperature of 37.7C (99.86F) was recorded on June 27 at Lingwood, Norfolk, and there were also record-breaking overnight minimums of 23.5C (74.3F) in Wales and 23.2C (73.8F) in England.
It followed the UK’s hottest ever May temperature, with 35.1C (95.2F) recorded at Kew Gardens, London, on May 25.
That month, the government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) advisory group warned Britain was ‘built for a climate that no longer exists’ and needed urgent changes.
The heatwave is set to last into the weekend, when it could break down with thunderstorms, according to the Meteorological Office.
Deputy Chief Forecaster Steven Keates said: ‘Unlike the May and June heatwaves, we are not expecting this heatwave to be record-breaking.
‘There is a chance that a tropical night (where temperatures do not fall below 20°C) may be recorded in a few places.
‘Much of England and Wales will be hot, and the heat will extend to parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland too.’
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