A woman in her 30s has died at a popular coastal beauty spot during the hottest day of the year.
Coastguards, lifeboat crews, air ambulance and police rushed to the iconic Durdle Door beach in Dorset at around 1pm after receiving reports of a woman in need of urgent medical attention.
Emergency responders carried out CPR on the victim but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is not known if the woman had been in the water prior to her death or had suffered a medical episode on the beach.
The woman’s family have been made aware of her death, which is not being treated as suspicious, Dorset Police said.
The tragedy took place on the hottest day of the year so far, as thermometers reached 30.1C at St James’s Park in London earlier today.
Amid the scorching temperatures, the Government’s UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated a five-day amber heat-health alert from midday today until Monday morning.
The alert warns there could be ‘a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions’, adding that ‘significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures’.
A police spokesperson said: ‘We received a report at 1.13pm of a woman in need of medical attention at Durdle Door beach.
‘Officers attended alongside the ambulance service and HM Coastguard and a cordon was put in place.
‘Very sadly the woman, aged in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin has been informed.
‘Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time. The death is not being treated as suspicious.’
Dozens of people ventured to the iconic coastal landmark earlier today as the mercury soared above 30C for the first time this year.
Before today, the warmest day of the year so far had been reached last Friday when temperatures got up to 29.4C (84.9F) at Santon Downham in Suffolk.
That broke the previous record for 2025 which stood at 29.3C (84.7F), recorded on May 1 at Kew Gardens in London.
But records are unlikely to be broken this week for the UK’s highest temperature in June, which was 35.6C (96.1F) in Southampton during the historic heatwave of 1976.
The mercury has steadily risen in recent days with highs of 25.2C (77.4F) last Sunday, 26.7C (80.1F) on Monday, 27.9C (82.2F) on Tuesday and 29.3C (84.7F) yesterday.
They could rise further to 32C (90F) this afternoon before similar highs tomorrow and 34C (93F) on Saturday. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and pollen levels will also be high.
Friday and Saturday nights will be uncomfortable for sleeping, with temperatures possibly staying above 20C (68F) in places, which is known as a ‘tropical night’.
The heatwave is likely to officially end after Saturday, but the weather from Sunday into the middle of next week will stay warm with a range of 24C (75F) to 26C (79F).
