The previous British record dated back to July 25, 2019, with 38.7 degrees. when the heat wave rages in Europe. “For the first time, we exceeded 40°C in the United Kingdom”, at Heathrow airport in west London, said the Met Office. The heat record dating from 2019 had already been beaten a few hours earlier, with 39.1°C in south London. This is the second intense heat phenomenon in barely a month in Europe. This multiplication is a direct consequence of the climate crisis according to scientists, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing in both intensity, duration and frequency. Mercury exceeded the record high ever in the UK with 39, 1 degree at the end of the morning in Charlwood, south London, announced the Met Office, which specified that temperatures would continue to rise during the day and could exceed the 40 degree mark in the south-east of the country. The last British record dates back to July 25, 2019, with 38.7 degrees recorded in Cambridge (South-East). SEE ALSO – United Kingdom: in London, faced with the heat wave, passengers abandon transport for swimming pools Not able to manage such heat “It is sure that the English are not used to that. It’s hard to be outside, even in the shade it’s suffocating,” Emily Nixon, 34, told AFP, who found refuge in a municipal swimming pool in London on Monday. On Monday, 38.1°C were recorded in the east of England, the highest temperature this year, the third on record in the United Kingdom. And the country experienced its hottest night ever recorded between Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures which in places did not drop below 25 degrees, announced the Met Office. At 10:00 GMT it was already over 37 degrees in south east England Transport Minister Grant Schapps stressed on the BBC that ‘no’ the country’s public transport was unable to handle such heat. The British rail network manager recorded the highest temperature ever recorded on a rail in the country: 62°C. The government has been accused of taking the phenomenon lightly. Resigning Prime Minister Boris Johnson skipped an emergency meeting on the crisis on Sunday, preferring to attend a farewell party, and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Britons to “enjoy the sun”. is this heat wave exceptional? SEE ALSO – Heat wave: from Nantes to Bordeaux, the French in search of freshness Environmental activists from the group Extinction Rebellion broke windows of News UK, which notably publishes the tabloid The Sun, Tuesday morning to protest against the treatment of the heat wave in certain media. “The Sun chose to feature images of women in bikinis, beaches and happy children with ice cream,” the group said. Another tabloid headlined Monday “It’s not the end of the world, stay cool and carry on”. hot of the year with 35.4°C, were already facing temperatures of 33 degrees around 11:20 a.m. (9:20 a.m. GMT). Some 39°C are expected in the afternoon. Belgium fears records, the thermometer can climb in places up to 40°C. Exceptionally, the major museums run by the federal state are accessible free of charge to those over 65 who can find some freshness there. Read also Are the number of forest fires really increasing in France? About half of the territory of the EU is currently facing a risk of drought due to the prolonged lack of rainfall, which exposes countries such as France, Romania, Spain, Portugal and Italy to a probable drop in crop yields, according to the European Commission.SEE ALSO – Faced with the heat wave, a breeder cools his cows with giant fans