In England, Santon Downham, in Suffolk, recorded a high of 38.1C, just 0.6C lower than the current UK national record of 38.7C, set in Cambridge in 2019. Forecasters predicted highs of 40C in Peterborough, Grantham and Doncaster on Tuesday, with a 95 per cent probability that the current record would be broken. Train services were badly disrupted as Network Rail imposed speed restrictions of 20mph to 90mph across the country. The operator said “very late” trains and cancellations were at double their normal level on Monday, with 2,000 services out of 12,800 either more than half an hour late or axed. A further 2,000 were between five and 30 minutes late. Just 67 per cent of all rail services in the UK arrived within five minutes of schedule or within 10 minutes on long-distance lines, compared with around 90 per cent on a normal day. Dozens of operators urged people to avoid travel unless “absolutely necessary” as they cancelled services. Southern Rail, which serves Brighton and the south coast, said trips to the beach were “not essential”.
