Schools across Britain to shut down and commuters urged to avoid railways amid severe heat warning

Dozens of schools across Britain are set to shut down as temperatures soar to a possible 40C across parts of England and Wales this week.

The Met Office has issued its most severe alert for extreme heat, covering a vast area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, running from 9am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday.

Red warnings are reserved for the most extreme weather events, signalling "severe and significant impacts" including health risks extending well beyond vulnerable groups.

The UK Health Security Agency has activated a red health warning across six English regions - the West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, South West, London, and the east of England.

Numerous schools throughout England and Wales have now announced closures or shortened days to safeguard pupils from the dangerous conditions.

The Buckingham School in Buckinghamshire will shut its doors on Wednesday and Thursday, with students switching to remote learning.

The school wrote on its website: "Because most of our buildings cannot be cooled adequately and there is little shade outside, we have taken the difficult decision to close the school site on both days (Wednesday and Thursday)."

The 1,200-pupil school added: "All trips and other scheduled activities are also cancelled."

St John's Marlborough in Wiltshire plans to finish early on Tuesday before closing entirely on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Dorcan Academy in Swindon will end on-site lessons at 11.30am on Tuesday and remain shut for the following two days.

Schools in Sutton and Haringey have also been forced to close from Tuesday through Thursday.

Several more, including Pewsey Vale School, Dilton Marsh Primary, Malmesbury School, Ditton Park Academy, The Bulmershe School, Cheam High School and Sydenham School, will operate reduced hours with lunchtime finishes.

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Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "While there is no legal 'upper limit' for temperature in schools, (school leaders) will certainly be doing all they can to mitigate the effects of such high temperatures."

Network Rail has urged passengers to avoid all non-essential journeys on Wednesday and Thursday.

Jake Kelly, the firm's deputy chief executive, said: "Extreme heat can have a significant impact on the railway, so safety must come first."

Transport for London has warned of likely disruption to Tube and rail services, with high track temperatures potentially forcing speed restrictions.

Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said services sharing the overground network, including the Overground and Elizabeth line, are "likely to be more affected."

The AA has warned that gritters may be deployed on some roads as surfaces could soften or become sticky in the heat.

Temperatures above 30C are expected to persist for several consecutive days and overnight temperatures could remain extremely high in a number of areas.

Cooler conditions may begin to creep in from the west later on in the week, according to the Met Office.

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