HOT? WE'RE FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER

Georgina Boardman, 19, from Henley-On-Thames, sits on the river bank in the sunshine

Wednesday July 2,2008

By Tony Bonnici and David Pilditch

BRITAIN’S hottest day of the year so far led to a massive 20 per cent rise in “sickies” yesterday.

Temperatures soared to 84F (28.9C) across much of the country – with London getting the best of the mini-heatwave.

St John Ambulance said at least 50 people fainted with heat exhaustion as they watched the tennis at Wimbledon.

And Britain’s bosses were feeling disctinctly hot under the collar. FirstCare, which records workplace absences, said illness was up by a fifth.

But employers hoping for a better attendance today may be in for a nasty shock. For although storms are predicted across the country, many workers could take another day off to watch Andy Murray in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on TV.

FirstCare’s Aaron Ross said the sickness rate had jumped on Monday and yesterday when compared with the seasonal average.

He said: “There is clearly a direct correlation between this recent rise in absence and the good weather we have been enjoying this week.

“With Murray’s ongoing success at Wimbledon, we expect to see absence rise as he hopefully progresses, with workers slipping out of the office early to catch as much of the matches as possible.”

As the mercury rose, insurers Norwich Union urged drivers to pay more attention to the road – after its analysts discovered a leap in claims on the hottest days.

Data showed that motor accident claims soared by 50 per cent during heatwaves.

Experts said the rise could partly be down to the “short-skirt effect”, as revealing summer outfits proved just too distracting.

Other factors included the effects of sunstroke, the flip-flop effect – when drivers wear inappropriate footwear – impaired reaction times and business and holiday traffic mixing.

Meanwhile, food manufacturer Unilever, which makes top ice cream brands like Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s, said it was selling 300 a minute. But the Met Office yesterday said people should prepare for wet weather over the next few days.

It predicted scattered heavy showers by this afternoon, with more prolonged heavy rain expected to spread northwards across eastern England.

Spokeswoman Sarah Holland said temperatures would drop. She added: “Tuesday has definitely seen the best of it, as there is rain heading in from the West.

“London and other South-eastern areas could expect to see some thundery showers, and the maximum temperature on Wednesday will be 70F (21C).

“As we head towards the weekend we will become rather unsettled again and the maximum will be 68F (20C).”

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