LNER urges passengers not to travel during mini heatwave

The York-based rail firm, which operates the East Coast Main Line from Edinburgh to London, said it “strongly recommends” that people do not to travel on Wednesday (June 24) and Thursday.

Network Rail may have to introduce speed restrictions in parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday due to the heat.

LNER said it will be running fewer services on Wednesday and Thursday as there is likely to be delays caused by longer journey times.

It comes as a rare red weather warning covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham is in place from 9am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

Forecasters say the heatwave could see temperatures hit 38C to 40C in some parts of England and Wales, smashing the June record set in 1976 by several degrees as human-driven climate change intensifies the impact of a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe.

LNER said some restrictions on tickets have already been lifted for customers travelling on the East Coast Main Line up until Friday “to help make their journeys more comfortable”.

Customers with tickets for Wednesday and Thursday can use them to travel on LNER services on Friday at no extra cost or claim a full refund from their point of purchase if they prefer not to travel, the company said.

For more information, visit www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travel-updates/