Record life‑threatening calls in London heat

The highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies have been recorded by the London Ambulance Service (LAS), as temperatures soar across the capital.

Ambulance crews responded to a record 642 Category 1 calls on Wednesday, which was the hottest June day on record, before the record was broken again on Thursday.

Category 1 incidents include the most serious, life-threatening injuries and illnesses including cardiac arrests and patients who are not breathing.

Jason Killens, LAS chief executive, said the emergencies had been driven by the extreme heat across London and urged people to drink plenty of fluids, avoid the sun between 11:00 and 15:00 BST and keep their homes as cool as possible.

Killens said: "Our crews are working very hard in challenging conditions to care for patients, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our people for their incredible hard work.

"Please help them to help you by taking care of yourself and others."

LAS said Wednesday was its fifth busiest day in its history, with 7,900 calls in total and ambulance crews responding to nearly 3,600 patients in a single day.

Call outs included people who were fainting, struggling to breathe or experiencing heart problems.

The service said it had put more than 400 additional ambulance crews on the road during the heatwave.

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