Terrified passengers today had to be freed from stuck Thameslink trains by police and were forced to walk down the tracks to safety in sizzling 34C heat.
Enraged customers travelling on the services say they felt like they were ‘in an oven’ and being ‘slow cooked’ as the services came to a halt ‘no air conditioning’ or ventilation.
It is believed at least three trains were stopped due to faults, and a series of images shows one service heading south through London being evacuated.
One enraged commuter wrote on social media: ‘[Thameslink] you will have hell to pay. We’ve been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour.
‘The doors were closed because we were told we may be moving. That was 15 minutes ago. It’s like an oven in here and we’re being slow cooked.’
The operator confirmed on a social media post that their services were facing issues.
They posted: ‘Due to a fault on a train between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill, some lines are blocked. We’re working to gather more information on this incident.’
They added that their ‘services across the network are experiencing significant disruption’.
Another passenger said they had been stuck on a ‘rammed’ service to Brighton between Elephant and Castle which was a medical accident ‘waiting to happen’.
They also asked why there was ‘no air con’ or windows that can be opened.
In their instructions to stuck passengers, Thameslink posted on X that anyone stuck should not attempt to leave the train.
They said: ‘If you’re stuck on a train which isn’t moving, please remain where you are and don’t make any attempt to leave the train unless instructed to.’
Thameslink also replied to a post from a passenger who said he was stuck on a service between Blackfriars and East Croyon which had been ‘over an hour with no AC’.
Their reply read: ‘Network Rail staff and emergency services are enroute to each train stuck between stations to evacuate and work on getting these moving.’
It comes as weather experts warned much of the UK could be soaked as soon as 5pm this evening.
Met Office forecasters have warned that while record-breaking temperatures look set to be reached today, Britons should also prepare for a substantial downpour in the aftermath.
This week has already seen thermometers surpass 30C across much of the UK, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all recording their warmest days of the year on Friday.
And that blistering heat has continued into today, which is the official end of spring.
Thousands of people watched the sunrise over Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice this morning.
Those who gathered for the spectacle at the neolithic monument in Wiltshire braved a warm start to the morning as they marked the year’s longest day.
Temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London reached 18C by 5am, according to the Met Office.
The weather bureau confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside recorded the highest overnight temperatures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am on Saturday.
Towns in Cumbria and Lancashire also recorded temperatures above 19C.
An amber heat-health alert for all regions in England remains in place for the weekend, but a warning for thunder has been issued.
Spanning the north Midlands to Northumberland, including north-east Wales, downpours, hail, lightning and gusty winds are predicted from 3pm today until the early hours of tomorrow.
The Met Office warned of ‘sudden flooding’ which could see communities ‘cut off’, transport disruption and power cuts.
The hot weather is poised to linger in the South and East through the weekend. An amber heat health alert – to warn healthcare providers – lasts until Monday.
Elsewhere, temperatures are set to fall from tomorrow to the high teens or low 20s.
It follows a World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group study published on Friday which found the heatwave has been made around 100 times more likely and 2-4C hotter due to climate change.
Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, lecturer at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, said: ‘Heatwaves are silent killers – people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death.
‘This real-time analysis reveals the hidden toll of heatwaves and we want it to help raise the alarm.
‘Heatwaves are an underappreciated threat in the UK and they’re becoming more dangerous with climate change.’
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
The Met Office confirmed that ‘many places’ in England and ‘one or two areas’ in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday.
There will also be very high UV and pollen levels across the country on Saturday, the forecaster said.
The amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday.
It warns ‘significant impacts are likely’ across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
Following the hot weather, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) urged the public to take heat and water safety seriously.
During 2022’s heatwave, temperatures rose past 40C, leading to 320 people being treated in hospital.
Steve Cole, policy director at RoSPA, said: ‘Heat is no longer just a holiday perk – it’s a growing public health risk.
‘We’re seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities.
‘Warm weather can also be deceptive when it comes to going for a dip.
‘While the air may feel hot, water temperatures often remain dangerously cold, which can lead to cold-water shock, even in summer.’
