Every household urged to close curtains before Thursday as heatwave strikes

Every household in the UK is being urged to close their curtains and blinds today as the heatwave strikes.

The government has issued urgent advice about how to stay cool in a heatwave which contains packs of information about stopping you and your household from getting too hot.

It comes as weather forecasters including the Met Office predict a red hot scorcher of 31C in some parts of the UK today, following peaks of 29.4C on the mercury on Tuesday.

Although Thursday will cool slightly, more hot weather is still expected for early July, so the tip will work for every heatwave throughout the rest of the summer.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging people to follow guidance to keep their house cool in heatwaves.

One key tip is closing windows and curtains “in rooms that face the sun”.

This is because direct sunlight on windows heats up a house very fast. This ‘greenhouse effect’ similar to that seen in the Earth’s Ozone layer is how greenhouses work to heat up the plants within. The glass magnifies and intensifies the sun’s rays, heating up what’s inside it.

So if you have sunlight shining on any window, you should close the curtains (while keeping the window behind it open for airflow).

The UKHSA’s guidance in full states:

• keep out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, between 11am and 3pm

• if you are going to do a physical activity (for example exercise or walking the dog), plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the morning or evening

• keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun

• if you do go outside, cover up with suitable clothing such as an appropriate hat and sunglasses, seek shade and apply sunscreen

• drink plenty of fluids and limit your alcohol intake

• check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you

• know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them

The government department added: “It is important to follow the advice in this guidance to be prepared for hot weather. This is particularly important if you are higher risk of becoming seriously unwell. To prepare, you can llisten to the news and check your local weather forecast so that you know when hot weather is expected. Look out for advice on what to do if services such as power, water supplies and transport are likely to be affected.”

“Check air pollution forecasts and advice, as air pollution can become worse during hot weather and can cause problems for people with asthma and other breathing problems.

“When hot weather is expected, plan your activities to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm.”