London weather: Hundreds of sun seekers queue for London lidos on hottest day of year

Temperatures on Monday are set to soar even further
Francesca Gillett18 June 2017

Hundreds of sun-seekers headed to London’s lidos on Sunday as the capital enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far.

Huge queues formed from as early as 10am as hordes of people flocked to the city’s outdoor pools to make the most of the soaring temperatures.

The heat peaked at 31.9C at Hampton Water Works in south west London, making Sunday the warmest day of the year so far.

It beat Saturday’s top temperature of 30.2C recorded in Bushy Park.

But the scorching temperatures are set to rise even further on Monday with forecasters predicting the mercury could reach 33C or even 34C.

Tooting Bec Lido: People queued for an hour and more.
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According to Londoners at the popular Tooting Bec Lido, around 400 people were queuing to get in.

Daniel Rosney, who works for the BBC, said the queue was an hour and 15 minutes long.

He said on Twitter that “all of south west London had the same idea” to head to the lido at around 10am.

Another woman called Nathalie tweeted: “10.15 at Tooting Lido and the queue is already MASSIVE.”

A short video clip recorded at Brockwell lido in south London also shows a huge line of people queuing to get in.

At 8.30am, the Brockwell pool already had dozens of people in the water and by the early afternoon, organisers said they were at 99 per cent capacity with only a few places left. After that the lido would be operating on a one in, one out system.

Brockwell Lido: In the early afternoon the lido was reportedly at 99 per cent capacity.
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Many of the capital’s lidos date back to the 1930s, when they were popular with Londoners in the summer.

Tooting Bec Lido is the largest freshwater open-air swimming pool in Britain and has been popular since 1906.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "We could see 33C on Monday, which we think would be the peak of the heat.

"There's a small chance of it being even warmer later in the week, but there's low confidence on that."

The heat is forecast to keep temperatures in the South and South East some 10C (50F) above the usual average for this time of year.

"The sun is as powerful as it can be," said Met Office forecaster Charles Powell on Saturday.

"I would say we are in the midst of a heatwave. You can't really deny the fact that most places are well above average in terms of temperatures, and it feels pretty warm."

People relaxing near to the BT Tower in the sun on Saturday. 
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Public Health England (PHE) has issued a heat health warning.

Dr Thomas Waite from PHE said: "For some people, such as older people, those with underlying health conditions and those with young children, the summer heat can bring real health risks.

"That's why we're urging everyone to keep an eye on those you know who may be at risk this summer. If you're able, ask if your friends, family or neighbours need any support."

Unusual levels of UV are also being recorded in the UK at the moment, with the strength of the radiation in some spots being as high as that in Cyprus and Gibraltar.

This has prompted warnings that people should take extra care in the sun.

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