It was the hottest June day ever for 50 years until yesterday – but the 1976 record has now been beaten.
The previous top temperature of 35.6C, set during the legendary ten-week heatwave, was surpassed with the mercury reaching 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire.
Britons are currently sweltering under a ‘heat dome’, which has led to a rare red weather warning from the Met Office, prompting school closures, travel disruption and even a conference on extreme heat to be cancelled.
This week’s soaring temperatures are bringing back memories of the scorching summer of 1976, with people flocking to the same places to seek relief from the heat.
Photographs from half a century ago show the contrasts and connections between now and then.
In 1976, bathers basked on beaches in seaside resorts such as Brighton, which has too been packed this week with families and sunseekers.
The seafront now features the i360 observation tower, which opened in 2016.
Meanwhile, 50 years ago Londoners took to cooling off in public fountains, including of course the centrepiece one in Trafalgar Square.
A similar basker was seen there this week – although there are now ‘No entry’ signs for the pools.
A Londoner is seen sunbathing in London’s Kensington Gardens on June 3, 1976 – in a heatwave summer that set new records at the time
The same green space in the capital has welcomed sunbathers on deckchairs on June 3, 2026
Crowds flocked to take a dip or bathe beside the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park in 1976
Swimming in the Serpentine Lido remains a feature for visitors across a summer season, though bookings in advance are encouraged
Fifty years ago, a doctor went as far as advising people to drink beer and eat crisps to counteract the salt lost through sweat – with plenty appearing happy to oblige.
Brewers told of the ‘phenomenal demand’ during the 10 weeks of blazing heat.
Britons have similarly been packing pubs and beer gardens in recent weeks, helped by the heatwave coinciding with England and Scotland in action at the World Cup.
The British Beer and Pub Association forecast an extra 4million pints would have been poured as England took on Ghana last night, worth an estimated £20million to the industry – with similar boosts hoped for ahead.
And just like in 1976, as pictured with people outside London’s Buckingham Palace as Grenadier Guards paraded by in thick and stuffy outfits, umbrellas or parasols have been put up to help protect from the sun.
The summer of 1976 was caused in part by very hot air that had originated in the Mediterranean – and the drought was worsened by the fact that there had been a lack of rainfall the previous summer, meaning reservoirs and rivers were already low.
The highest temperature recorded that summer was on July 3, when the mercury hit 96.6F (35.9C) in Cheltenham.
The town saw temperatures rise above 89.6F (32C) for seven consecutive days.
People made the most of the fountains in London’s Trafalgar Square to keep cool in June 2026
A similar basker was seen there this week – though there are ‘No entry’ signs for the pools
The shorefront in Brighton is seen crammed with sunseekers during the summer of 1976
Fifty years later, the same shingle has been attracted crowds overlooked by the Palace Pier
Brighton (pictured on June 26 1976) was among the many seaside resorts packed that summer
The same front looking towards Hove now features the i360 observation tower opened in 2016
At that year’s Wimbledon tennis championships, umpires were allowed to remove their jackets for the first time in living memory – while 400 people had to be treated for heat exhaustion in a single day.
Aligning with the national need to save water, the Queen ordered an end to the use of sprinklers in Palace grounds – while in much of the UK water was rationed between 6pm and 7am.
Residents were encouraged to alert authorities if neighbours used water unnecessarily and baths were only allowed with no more than 5in of water in the tub.
Major roads were littered with broken-down cars which had overheated.
Other highway concerns, from one police force at least, included fears that bikini-clad women were proving a ‘major distraction’ for motorists, one police force warned.
Press reports also told of students having sex in fields, leaving farmers fretting about them doing damage.
Yet analysts also warned the 1976 summer conditions could lead to a falling birth rate as couples avoided having sex in the heat.
Behavioural psychologist Dr Robert Sharpe said: ‘It’s undeniable that such increases in temperature tend to decrease sexual activity.’
And births fell by more than 15,000 to 569,259 the following year – the lowest recorded figure in the 20th century.
While the Grenadier Guards outside Buckingham Palace might have been roasting in their heavy outfits in June 1976, onlookers could try to keep a little cooler with an umbrella
A similar tactic is still being used for shade this heatwave summer outside the palace
One man appears happy to take a stroll through the Trafalgar Square pool on June 13 1976
Fifty years on, a woman is seen just dipping her hand into the water below Nelson’s Column
On Wednesday, thousands of schools were closed, trains were cancelled and commuters were warned not to travel ‘unless absolutely necessary’ amid a rare red heat warning.
A record 36.1C was registered at Gosport in Hampshire, surpassing the previous June high of 35.6C in 1976. In Surrey, West Sussex, London, Dorset and Suffolk temperatures also eclipsed 35C.
It is only the second time the Met Office has issued its most severe red alert for extreme heat – the last was in July 2022, when the UK recorded its highest ever temperature of 40.3C.
Forecasters said there was a small chance Britain could close in on that record today.
Meanwhile, the All England Club was forced to suspend Wimbledon qualifying after its automated line-calling system malfunctioned.
Players were taken off court after it was decided chair umpires could not make line calls, and there are no reserve judges available during qualifying.
Despite widespread school closures, parents were urged to send children in if theirs remained open.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘I know hot weather can be a struggle but teachers are relaxing uniform rules, keeping classrooms cool and avoiding vigorous activity.’
Effects of the summer 1976 heatwave included widespread drought – with much of the UK seeing water rationed between 6pm and 7am and people urged to limit their baths to 5in fills
Drivers have been given extreme heat warnings this summer, including on this stretch of the M1 motorway approaching London
Many pupils are set to receive work digitally, while some schools have offered provision for those who cannot stay at home.
Parents have also started fundraisers to help. One, for Dulwich Hamlet Junior School in south London, raised more than £3,500 in 16 hours to buy portable air-conditioning units, fans and playground gazebos.
More than 11,500 people have signed an online petition calling for a maximum temperature at which schools can legally remain open. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for similar measures to cover workplaces.
Speaking at The Aldgate School, he said: ‘What used to be a once-in-a-generation occurrence, events of biblical proportions, now take place every year, whether it’s heatwaves [or] flash flooding. We haven’t adapted.’
In Hampshire, Testwood Lakes, near Southampton, was closed to the public after a 15-year-old boy who had been seen swimming was reported missing. Marine units have been deployed to aid the search.
Meanwhile, Southeastern trains warned passengers that they should be ‘prepared for a disrupted journey’, and Transport for Wales cancelled services over the extreme heat and a shortage of trains.
Elderly people were advised to stay at home between 11am and 3pm during the heatwave.
Caroline Abrahams, at Age UK, stressed that the extreme heat warnings needed to be taken seriously.
The red alert, covering the Midlands down to the south coast, continues until tonight.
The Met Office has also put out a yellow warning for thunderstorms in the South West this evening.
