Tradesmen share the hilarious ways they are cooling down on TikTok as they soldier on in 36C heat

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:05, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 00:16, 26 June 2026 Tradesmen working in the scorching sun amid Britain's heatwave have shared the hilarious methods they're keeping cool - after large parts of the UK shut down. Construction workers have faced brutal conditions this week as temperatures smashed the record for the hottest ever June day. But while railways ground to a halt, more than a thousand schools shut and office staff logged in from home, those who spend their working days outdoors simply rolled up their sleeves and carried on. Social media exploded with memes from the long-suffering workers who put up with the heat during the day, only to resort to measures such as diving in a children's paddling pool - or heading to the pub - to cool off. It comes amid criticism of Britain's resilience this week after children were allowed to stay at home and parts of the transport system broke down completely as temperatures topped 36C.  Today a red weather warning for extreme heat was extended into Friday across London and the south east, as a heat dome stubbornly sits across much of Europe. Construction workers across the country deployed popular memes to share how they were coping amidst the high temperatures, with one lipsyncing along to Gemma Collins' famous exit from the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! jungle.  She famously said: 'I'm a celebrity. Get me out of here. I'm done. I can't do anymore. I can't, I can't, I can't go through anymore.' Working out in 36 degrees heat is not the move #constructionwork #heatwave #britishweather #relatable #fyp Construction workers have faced brutal conditions this week as temperatures smashed the record for the hottest ever June day Many shared the unconventional ways they used to cool off after a long day in the sun One worker from Birmingham dived into a small pool in his garden with a pack of cider A second post recreated a popular Top Gear scene in which presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May discussed running away after one of their stunts went wrong.  Clarkson, who recently revealed he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer last year, asked the others: 'Suggestions? I mean running away obviously.' The poster tagged the video: 'When it hits 34 degrees on site'.  One bricklayer from Leicester filmed himself returning home from work and diving headfirst into a large swimming pool. He was seen leaving a back door in his house and jumping straight into the pool, still wearing his hi-vis top, shorts, socks and hard hat.  A second builder, from Birmingham, where temperatures peaked at 33C on Wednesday, took things a step further and dived in to a small pool in his back garden while holding a pack of cider. He was filmed floating on his back while holding a can in each hand.  Another worker filled a bin-like container with water and sat in it. This group of builders recreated a Top Gear meme in which they decided the only solution was to 'run away' Social media exploded with memes about working through the heat wave this week Other construction workers headed straight from the building site to the pub as temperatures hit their peak A construction worker dives into a pool in a garden in Birmingham Captioning the video 'when it's too hot for work but you remember you're the boss', the man sat eating an ice cream with his feet hanging out the container. The video echoed a viral image from a heatwave in 2022 in which a group of builders filled a skip with cold water to keep cool in Bury. Other construction workers headed straight from the building site to the pub as temperatures hit their peak. Swapping PPE and hi-vis for caps and sunglasses, one group shared footage of them enjoying a cold pint in a beer garden - before poking fun at themselves stumbling home hours later. It comes amid despair over Britain's ailing resilience this week after parts of the country went into total shut down because of the heat.  LBC caller James captured the frustration as he praised those soldiering on through the heat as the 'backbone' of Britain.  He told presenter Henry Riley of seeing builders working through the heatwave: 'There were six men and they weren't all young 20-somethings, some of them were probably as old as 45, stripped down to their shirts, just shorts and boots and their belts. 'And they were handballing all this heavy-duty steel scaffolding. It was 33C in the temperature on my car. 'It's men like that that are the backbone of every country on this planet.' (From left) Susie MacDonald, Charlotte Reader and Emma Ledger cool off from the hot weather at Cumnock open-air swimming pool in East Ayrshire on Thursday Swimmers enjoy cooling off from the heat at Charlton Lido in south-east London on Thursday afternoon The dried-up bed of the River Wharfe at Yockenthwaite in the Yorkshire Dales on Thursday People cool down in Lyme Regis, Dorset, Thursday afternoon as temperatures soar once again He went on to hit out at 'melts' who 'go on about children and duty of care'. 'We are breeding a nation of melts. We've got children that as you've already said are locked in their bedrooms. They are so ill-prepared for what real life in this hard world is like.' A 50-year record for the hottest June day was broken yesterday and again today as the mercury reached 36.4C in Yeovilton, Somerset.  More than 1,000 schools have either partially or fully closed amid the heatwave, with many sending children home at lunchtime and allowing them to wear PE kits rather than full uniform. Rail firms told passengers not to travel unless 'absolutely necessary' and in London, large parts of the Underground were severely disrupted.  It comes as a swimmer died after going into the sea during a visit to Aberavon beach in Port Talbot, South Wales, at about 4.30pm yesterday. Coastguard personnel performed CPR but the 50-year-old man from nearby Cilfrew died at the scene. London Ambulance Service also revealed that it recorded its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies in its history 'driven by the extreme heat' yesterday. Elsewhere a fire engine caught fire in the heatwave while travelling to a crash on the A350 at Charlton Marshall in Dorset at 6.30pm yesterday. The crew from Blandford fire station stopped the vehicle and managed to escape before calling for backup. Two other crews from Wimborne and Sturminster Newton rushed to the scene to tackle the inferno which burnt out the engine's cab – and the fire also spread to the nearby grass verge and telegraph cables before it was eventually put out by 8.30pm. South East Water announced a hosepipe ban today for Kent, where it has 850,000 customers, which has come into force immediately after 'record demand for water'.  The Met Office said highs of up to 40C are possible this afternoon, meaning the UK could also close in on the all-time temperature record of 40.3C set in July 2022. Last night was also the UK's warmest June night ever after overnight temperatures in Cardiff failed to drop below 23.5C, beating the previous record of 22.7C in 1976. Transport networks have faced major disruption and people are being urged to stay inside between 11am to 3pm, close windows and curtains and stay hydrated. Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital declared a critical incident following a failure to its cooling system supporting 'critical infrastructure', as did Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust after its MRI scanners stopped working in the heat. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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