(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Commuters complained of "pizza oven" temperatures on Tubes and buses as London yesterday faced the hottest July day in almost a decade.
The Met Office declared a level three "heatwave" alert at 9am - the first such warning this year - and advised the public to stay out of the sun.
Temperatures peaked in the capital at 33C by 5pm - with Wimbledon surpassing the 42.7C degrees recorded on Tuesday at the Centre Court. Forecasters had earlier said there was a 60% chance of off-court temperatures reaching 35C. Court Three has been nicknamed "the wok" because of the heat. By 6pm on Tuesday, St John's Ambulance had treated 123 spectators and taken two to hospital.
A Standard survey of conditions on the Tube and buses on Tuesday night recorded 34C on the Central line at Liverpool Street - more than 4C hotter than the streets.
Bus passengers fared even worse, with temperatures on the top deck of some services hitting 36.8C - above the 30C legal limit for transporting cattle.
Network Rail said speed restrictions had come into force leading to longer journeys home. On Tuesday some First Great Western services from Paddington were delayed or cancelled because high temperatures increased the risk of rails buckling.
London Ambulance Service received 5,259 emergency calls on Tuesday, 685 more than the previous Tuesday.
Of the 1,358 life-threatening incidents, 229 were because of breathing problems - in 216 of those cases the patient was unconscious or had fainted. Health experts urged employers to allow staff to travel outside peak times to avoid "unbearable" conditions, which saw parts of the country becoming hotter than Rio. At 5.30pm on the Central line at Oxford Circus on Tuesday, the Standard recorded 32C. Ninety minutes later, a reading of 31.7C was taken at Baker Street on the Bakerloo line.
Four-months-pregnant Rachel Filby, 32, who works in recruitment in Holborn, said: "It's horrible. I feel sick all over London, it's too hot. I almost have to force people to give me a seat."
At Bank station Sian Watson, 33, a PA heading to Chigwell, said: "It's sweltering and everyone tries to get to the windows for some air. They need air-con."
On the buses, student Rachel Lewin, 18, from Richmond, was on the top deck of a No 9 bus experiencing 36.8C heat. She said: "It's unbearable. There are no windows to open, the air-con is non-existent. It's like a furnace. I know we don't get this weather that often but we should be able to travel in more comfort than this."
Kasia Kuchnicka, 29, an administrator at the Royal Albert Hall, said: "It sucks your energy. It's kind of disturbing you can't open the windows." Transport for London yesterday said 40% of the network would have air-conditioned trains by the end of next year.
Potential thunderstorms and temperatures of 26C are forecast today.
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