Nearly 10,000 care homes are in parts of England facing extreme levels of heat, increasing the chances of heat-related deaths, campaigners have warned.
Research by Friends of the Earth have identified 9,589 care homes, 1,012 hospitals, and 10,064 nurseries in high heat zones.
According to the group, West Worthing tops a list of constituencies with the most care homes in high heat neighbourhoods, while Birmingham is the council area with most high heat neighbourhoods.
‘Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more extreme as climate change gathers pace,’ said Friends of the Earth campaigner, Denis Fernando.
‘The UK has been hit by thousands of heat-related deaths over recent years, and this could rise to over 10,000 a year by 2050, according to government advisors.’
He added: ‘Extreme heat affects us all – but some communities and people are affected harder than others, including older people, young children, people with health issues and hospital patients.’
Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to prioritise care homes, hospitals and nurseries when it comes to measures – such as building upgrades – aimed at mitigating extreme heat.
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