Police officers were forced to smash windows after dogs were left in sweltering cars in three separate incidents London – when temperatures reached 38ºC.
Angry officials today doubled down on warnings to the public after being forced into vehicles during yesterday’s heatwave, urging owners not to take pets into the heat.
Footage showed officers smashing through the window of a vehicle parked on the curb in Leicester Square yesterday afternoon as temperatures reached nearly 40C.
Video showed officers speaking to members of the public while glass lay strewn on the sidewalk as the dog took water from a small tub.
Meanwhile, officers took to Twitter to vent their anger after ramming themselves into a car parked outside the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London, after another dog became trapped inside.
The outside temperature at the time of the rescue was 31.5 °C.
Barnet MPS tweeted: “Unbelievable, our officers just had to smash a vehicle window to extract a dog from the RAF Museum Hendon. 31.5 degrees!
“JUST DON’T WALK DOGS IN THIS HEAT.”
Police smashed the window of a car in Leicester Square, central London, to rescue a dog from the heat yesterday
Footage showed officers speaking to what appeared to be the pet’s owners, with glass strewn on the sidewalk
The dog was reportedly rescued from the car after an hour in the car and given a small tub of water to drink
Police have also been called to reports of a dog trapped in a vehicle in a Battersea Park car park
And police have also been called to reports of a dog being locked in a vehicle in a Battersea Park car park yesterday.
Members of the public called 999 after the pooch was spotted inside a black Mercedes minivan with the window open, reports MyLondon.
Witnesses said no one claimed the car and the dog was inside for about an hour before police made the decision to force their way inside.
The dog was eventually reunited with its owners about two hours later.
RSPCA guidelines state that dogs should never be left in “hot cars, conservatories, outbuildings or caravans” on a warm day.
It adds that outside temperatures can quickly rise from 22°C to 47°C, which can be deadly for dogs.
Temperatures peaked in the UK yesterday with 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk, making it the hottest day of 2022 and the third warmest on record, after 38.7C (101.7 °F) in Cambridge in July 2019 and 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) in Kent in August 2003.
This means temperatures, particularly inside vehicles, will have risen to dangerous levels.
The RSPCA adds: “If the dog’s condition is critical and the police have not yet arrived, your instinct will be to break into the car to free them.
“But please note that this could be classified as criminal damage. You may have to defend your actions in court, so please make sure you’re doing the right thing.
“Legally, you can do harm if you think the car owner would agree if they knew the dog was in danger.
forecaster at MetDesk created this map showing where the maximum temperatures are likely to be seen in the UK today
Highs of at least 40C are expected in England this afternoon – but could climb further to as high as 43C
“If you are sure you need to free the dog, tell the police what you intend to do and why. Take photos or videos of the dog. Are there other witnesses? Take their names and phone numbers with you.’
Today Britain is on course for its hottest day on record as temperatures soar towards 40C (104F) as rail chaos mounts, schools close again and millions react to the extreme heat, by working from home.
At 11.30am this morning, temperatures had already reached 37.3C (99.1F) at Charlwood in Surrey and 36.9C (98.4F) at Kew Gardens in west London – with the Highs correspond to the warmest places across Europe today.
Forecasters said an absolute maximum of 43°C (109°F) is possible, with a 95 percent chance the all-time record will fall.
BBC Weather’s Simon King said the UK record of 38.7C (101.7F) was expected to be broken “just after midday”, adding: “There will be a few more hours of heating to possibly reach the 40th to exceed °C. Graduation.’
In Durham, Woofs and Cuts closed groomers because it was “unsafe for dogs to be in the hot conditions and on the way to appointments”.
