Scientists are warning that politicians are failing to appreciate the magnitude of the climate crisis after the Met Office forecast that temperatures in the UK could hit 40C for just the second time since records began.

Rare red warnings have been issued over extreme temperatures that are this week set to hit record highs for June – smashing the record set in 1976 by several degrees.

The hot conditions will have major knock-on effects for health, schools, workers and transport, with experts warning that the predicted temperatures are “incredibly alarming” and should be seen as a public health threat.

“Our first 40C day was supposed to be a wake-up call, but clearly someone hit snooze,” said Professor Friederike Otto of Imperial College London, referring to the last time the UK hit 40C in 2022.

“Hitting 40C again – and in June this time – would be incredibly alarming.”

Professor Otto continued: “There’s a sad inevitability to all of this, with scientists like me trotting out the same quotes year after year. Yes, it’s climate change, yes it’s us, no it’s not El Niño.

“Right now, children are struggling to finish their exams in sweltering classrooms and the elderly are enduring dangerously hot homes and care facilities with little relief,” she added.

“This heat is not an inconvenience, it is a growing public health threat. Every heatwave puts lives at risk, and it’s long past time we treated it with the urgency it demands.”

The soaring temperatures, caused by human-driven climate change intensifying the impact of a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe, come as people gather for London Climate Action Week: a key fixture in the global climate calendar that is expected to attract 75,000 delegates from around the world, including heads of state and UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

Read More: 40C in June must be wake-up call on climate crisis, scientists warn