The United Kingdom is experiencing its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures expected to climb beyond 30C over the bank holiday weekend, according to forecasters.
The Met Office confirmed that 26.9C was recorded at Heathrow Airport in west London on Friday afternoon. The current May record stands at 32.8C.
The warm spell has triggered amber heat health alerts across parts of England as millions of people travel for the bank holiday break and the half-term holiday.
Meanwhile, congestion has also been reported around the Port of Dover, with passengers heading to mainland Europe facing delays of up to two hours.
Around 18,000 cars are expected to pass through the port between Friday and Sunday, while the RAC estimates that up to 19 million journeys will be made on UK roads over the weekend.
Motorways are expected to be particularly busy, with 3.8 million cars on the roads each day.
The Port of Dover said it is “working hard” to improve the situation, as delays have been linked to the introduction of the European Union’s new Entry Exit System, which digitally records biometric data such as fingerprints and photographs for non-EU travellers entering France.
French border officials have not yet fully activated the automated EES machines at Dover’s checks, meaning manual processing of traveller profiles is taking longer than expected. Authorities can suspend the system if delays become severe.
Passengers have been advised to arrive no earlier than two hours before departure, keep documents ready, bring essentials such as water and snacks, and prepare for delays.
The port also urged travellers to remain in vehicles for safety and to help traffic flow, while advising use of main roads to reduce congestion in Dover town. A contingency plan includes using Lydden Hill racing circuit to manage overflow traffic if queues worsen.
At other cross-Channel hubs, similar teething issues have been reported. At the Eurotunnel Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone and at Eurostar services at London St Pancras, French authorities are also gradually rolling out the new biometric system, though most passengers have not yet used the automated checks.
Lorry drivers have already been subject to biometric registration for some time.
The Port of Dover warned of expected disruption for ferry passengers, while the Port of Dover continues to coordinate with French border officials to manage the flow of travellers.
Elsewhere, Greece has indicated that British travellers will not be subject to biometric checks this summer.
Airports across Europe have also experienced occasional delays linked to border processing changes. In April, around 100 passengers were reportedly left behind in Milan after a Manchester-bound flight departed without them.
EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis told the BBC that problems linked to the EES were “unacceptable” but that “we have seen some reduction in some of the queues”.
He also urged European authorities to make use of flexibility to revert to manual passport stamping if necessary.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber heat health alerts for London, the South East, East of England and parts of the Midlands until Wednesday, when some areas may reach heatwave thresholds.
Amber alerts indicate a risk of significant impacts on health and social care services, particularly for children and older adults.
According to the warning, the rest of England is under yellow alerts, meaning adverse weather is “likely to affect vulnerable groups”.
Network Rail has advised passengers to carry water and seek assistance if they feel unwell, while several operators have scheduled engineering works across major lines including the East Coast Main Line, TransPennine routes, Great Western Main Line and Thameslink.
Southern Railway also warned that services will be busier than usual, “particularly on routes to coastal destinations”.
Forecasters say the combination of heat, travel demand and infrastructure strain is likely to keep roads, ports and rail networks under pressure throughout the holiday period.
