As Britain grapples with a relentless 40C ‘heat dome’, crowds rushed to the beach in Bournemouth seeking relief. Among the sunseekers, young individuals were observed inhaling from balloons, a common practice involving nitrous oxide, colloquially known as ‘hippy crack’. These scenes unfolded amidst law enforcement activity where officers detained beachgoers.
The crowded beach, bustling with people eager to escape the scorching temperatures marking the UK’s ‘hottest day ever’, witnessed youths passing these inflatable balloons around. The presence of intoxicants like nitrous oxide raises concerns about safety and legality on public beaches.
Nearby, shisha pipes circulated among groups, with people puffing away next to families with children trying to enjoy a seaside day out. The juxtaposition of these activities with the serene toddler play on the bay highlights a unique contrast in beachside recreations.
In a separate incident, a man was escorted by police officers, drawing the attention of those enduring the sweltering temperatures. Details of the situation remain sparse as Dorset Police have been contacted for further comments.
Tragedy struck the beach the previous day when emergency services responded to a distress call. A woman in her 60s, believed to have been in the water with a child, suffered a medical emergency. Despite the valiant efforts of paramedics, she tragically passed away after being brought ashore.
The brutal ‘heat dome’ claimed a further two victims – a two-year-old and four-year-old were found unresponsive by their mother, 33, on Monday afternoon in the town of Carpentras, southern France, in a car parked outside their grandmother’s house.
It has been reported that the mother forgot about her children while she was unpacking shopping, with the children suffering cardiac arrests as temperatures reached a sweltering 40C.
The double tragedy occurred as temperatures soared across Western Europe, driven by a mass of hot air moving north from the Sahara, fuelled by a strong high‑pressure system known as the ‘African anticyclone’.
Young boys were seen passing inflated balloons – which often contain nitrous oxide or ‘hippy crack’ – to each other on a crowded Bournemouth beach
A man was being escorted by officers as sweltering beach goers looked on
Others were seen passing around shisha pipes next to toddlers who were trying to enjoy the beach
Meteorologists say the system is creating a so‑called ‘heat dome’, trapping hot air over western and central Europe, and allowing temperatures to build day after day.
Elsewhere in the UK, hundreds of Brits headed to Cornwall’s Newquay beach to enjoy the waves, while some lidos inland, like London Fields, are fully booked until the end of the week as people rush to take the edge off the blistering heat.
At least 312 schools were fully closed or closing early today, with parents being told their children can wear PE kits and sandals amid parts of England being placed on red alert over extreme temperatures.
Some schools have cancelled trips and are setting work for students to do at home, after the Met Office warned the heatwave is expected to bring ‘severe and significant impacts’, including widespread health risks for many.
Many have explicitly cited red weather warnings and extreme heat for the reasons behind closures, with some explaining classrooms lack air conditioning and that travel to and from school could be risky in the high temperatures.
As a result, children have been told they can wear PE kit rather than full school uniform, which typically involves long trousers and blazers. Some after-school clubs have also been cancelled.
Some children who cannot stay at home will continue to be cared for on site.
The Department for Education said it does not normally advise schools to close during hot weather because attendance is ‘the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential’, but that school leaders should ensure they take ‘any steps necessary to make sure children are safe and comfortable’, as it laid out guidance on how to keep pupils safe.
The Daily Mail is also aware of one school offering ‘special extreme heat lunch choices’ tomorrow to protect the well-being of its kitchen staff, with the menu scaled back to just pasta and jacket potatoes.
Elsewhere, the Army has cancelled its ceremonial elements in London and Windsor to protect the wellbeing of its soldiers, horses and members of the public.
Ceremonial duties such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace will not go ahead on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
People enjoy the sun at Fistral beach, Newquay, Cornwall — June 23, 2026
People sunbathe and swim at London Fields Lido on Tuesday afternoon
The King’s Life Guard, which are mounted troops at Horse Guards, will also change without ceremony at 8am on Wednesday to ‘avoid heat stress to horses’.
It is already the hottest day of the year in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the mercury hitting 28.8C in Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, and 26.4C in Katesbridge, County Down. In Wisley, Surrey, temperatures reached 33.7C on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes after a violent band of storms swept across southern England overnight, forcing at least one airport to close, rail services to be thrown into chaos, and around 3,000 lightning strikes to hit London in just two hours.
Two homes were set on fire in the capital, reportedly as a result of lightning strikes, with the London Fire Brigade receiving more than 400 calls since midnight.
Meanwhile, hundreds of homes in Glastonbury were left without electricity after thunderstorms swept across the West Country.
The Met Office has said there were around 29,074 lightning strikes recorded across southern Britain overnight, including a majority over Somerset of 18,540 and an estimated 3,000 over London.
There was also turmoil on the Tube this morning with Transport for London cancelling all Elizabeth line trains between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Terminals 2 and 3 due to the flooding overnight. Service has since resumed.
The entire Mildmay overground line ran a reduced service due to ‘hot weather mitigation’, and National Rail has urged people to ‘please only travel if absolutely necessary’.
The aftermath of the fire in Bristol: The house sustained serious damage in the blaze, thought to be caused by a lightning strike
June’s longstanding UK temperature record of 35.6C, set in Hampshire in 1976, is forecast to be challenged as temperatures climb towards 40C across parts of England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Met Office said temperatures could beat the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C which was measured in July 2022, and are expected to beat the June record.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a red Heat Health Alert covering London, the South East, South West, East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands from 1am on Wednesday until 11pm on Thursday.
The alert warns there is a ‘risk to life for even the healthy population’ and highlights the potential impact on transport, power supplies, water resources and businesses.
In London, all Jobcentre offices will be closed for the next two days due to the red weather warning for heat.
Payments will be made to customers as normal, without the need for them to attend any appointments.
Jeremy Clarkson’s pub The Farmer’s Dog has been forced to close its butcher’s counter because of the ‘extreme heat’.
‘It turns out that when Britain reaches temperatures normally associated with southern Spain, certain things stop working properly,’ a message on the pub’s social media account read.
‘As a result, Chops (our butcher’s counter) will be closed today and potentially for the remainder of the week. The combination of extreme heat, refrigeration units and a giant tent has proved challenging.’
It also recommended that dogs were not brought to the pub today as there is ‘very little shade on site’.
Monmouthshire County Council told pedestrians they would not be able to walk across the Old Wye bridge in Chepstow from 11am today.
The local authority had recently reopened the Grade I-listed bridge linking Wales and England, but it has been closed again due to the high temperatures.
Bristol Airport was forced to temporarily suspend operations after a fault developed with its air traffic control systems, with passengers advised to contact their airlines for updates on delayed and cancelled flights.
Several flights have also been cancelled or delayed at Manchester Airport, with Turkish Airlines and Etihad Airways being the worst affected.
A number of Eurostar trains to and from London have also been cancelled this week because of ‘adverse weather conditions’.
Harry Styles fans will also be offered half-priced water at Wembley Stadium from today.
The stadium’s water bottle policy has also been relaxed due to the heatwave to allow concertgoers to bring metal or hard plastic water bottles inside.