15 million adults left feeling unwell by recent heatwave

As the UK swelters under yet another bout of scorching weather, new research reveals that more than 15 million people reported feeling unwell because of the heat during June’s record-breaking heatwave.

According to the research from Opinium for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, more than a quarter (28 per cent) of UK adults said they felt unwell because of the heat during the recent heatwave, with those who have difficult financial situations (47 per cent) and disabled people (44 per cent) reporting disproportionately high impacts.

More than half (55 per cent) of the disabled people polled said their sleep had been affected as a result of their homes being too hot during warm weather or heatwaves over the past year, and 44 per cent said they were unable to get their home to a comfortable temperature. Close to one in five (18 per cent) disabled people said they could not afford to cool their home down.

Other at-risk groups have also been suffering from the impact of extreme heat. More than a third (36 per cent) of respondents with a heart condition said they felt unable to go outside to do their normal daily activities, and one in five (19 per cent) said they have had to spend a lot of money running fans or air-conditioning units in an attempt to bring the temperatures down over the last 12 months as a result of their home being too hot.

The research comes as experts estimate an additional 20,000 deaths across Europe – including 862 in the UK – as a direct result of the heat dome which engulfed the continent last month.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “The third blast of extreme heat in just a few months is highly unusual and is undeniably a serious health threat.

“The risk is made worse for households with poor ventilation or no ability to implement passive cooling measures. And the risk is also heightened for people who are simply unable to afford to run fans and air conditioners to keep their homes cool.

”It has been more than five years since energy bills could be considered even vaguely normal and a growing proportion of households are now spending an unsustainable amount of their income on energy costs or servicing energy debt.

”The same people who suffer in cold winters, suffer in hot summers and the Climate Change Committee has warned that most homes could overheat in more extreme heat events with the poorest neighbourhoods seven times more likely to be vulnerable.

“It is a disgrace that not only are the fossil fuel giants contributing to the climate crisis, but they are also profiting from the increased energy prices households have to pay to keep our homes cool in the summer.”