Fourth Heatwave: Your Rights at Work, on Trains and Flights

What is happening and who is at risk

The UK entered its fourth heatwave of the summer on 28 July, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures into the mid-30s across central, southern and eastern England through the week. The UK Health Security Agency has issued heat health alerts covering English regions including London, the South East, the East of England, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West, warning of significant impacts across health and social care services and potential deaths among vulnerable people, particularly those over 65 or with existing health conditions. A heatwave is formally declared when a location records three consecutive days at or above its threshold, which ranges from 25C across much of northern England, Scotland and Wales to 28C in the South East. This summer has already been exceptional: England recorded its warmest June on record, temperatures have reached 35C in three separate months for the first time, and studies have attributed thousands of excess deaths to the earlier heat episodes. The practical advice is unchanged but worth repeating: stay hydrated, keep homes cool by closing blinds during the day and ventilating at night, check on elderly neighbours and relatives, and never leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

Your rights at work in the heat

The most searched question in every heatwave has an unsatisfying answer: there is no legal maximum workplace temperature in the UK. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require employers to keep the temperature in indoor workplaces reasonable, and Health and Safety Executive guidance sets a minimum of 16C, or 13C where the work is strenuous, but no upper figure exists in law. That does not leave workers without protection. Employers owe a general duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and must assess risks, which in extreme heat means providing drinking water, relaxing dress codes where sensible, allowing more frequent breaks, moving workstations away from direct sun and considering flexible hours for outdoor work. The HSE advises that where a significant number of employees complain about thermal discomfort, the employer should carry out a risk assessment and act on it. Outdoor workers in construction, delivery and agriculture face the highest risk, and heat stress, dehydration and UV exposure are all recognised workplace hazards their employers must manage. Anyone feeling unwell in the heat at work should report it, and workers concerned their employer is ignoring serious risk can contact the HSE or their union.

Trains: speed restrictions and Delay Repay

Rail is where the heat bites hardest for travellers. Steel rails in direct sun can reach 20C above air temperature, and because hot steel expands and can buckle, Network Rail imposes blanket speed restrictions on vulnerable routes during extreme heat, stretching journey times and triggering cancellations as timetables unravel. The compensation position is straightforward and underused: Delay Repay applies regardless of the cause of delay, including weather, so passengers delayed by heat speed restrictions can claim from the train operator, typically from 15 minutes of delay with 50% of the single fare back from 30 minutes and a full refund from an hour, though schemes vary by operator. Claims are made directly with the operator, usually within 28 days, with the ticket or a photograph of it as evidence. If a service is cancelled and the passenger chooses not to travel, an unused ticket is refundable in full without an administration fee. During disruption, ticket acceptance arrangements often let passengers use alternative operators or routes, announced on National Rail Enquiries, and season ticket holders can claim through the same Delay Repay route for each affected journey.

Flights, holidays and cancelling plans

Air passengers have weaker cash rights in heat disruption but stronger care rights than most realise. Under UK261 rules, extreme weather is normally an extraordinary circumstance, which removes the fixed compensation of up to £520 that applies to delays within an airline's control. What survives regardless of cause is the duty of care: on delays over two hours, airlines must provide food and drink, communication and, where an overnight delay results, accommodation and transfers, and on cancellation the passenger chooses between a full refund and rerouting at the earliest opportunity. Wildfires and extreme heat across parts of southern Europe add a second layer of questions for holidaymakers. Package holidays cancelled by the operator bring a full refund under the Package Travel Regulations, and where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against travel to a destination, operators generally cancel and refund. Choosing not to travel to a destination that remains open, however, is usually treated as disinclination, which neither airlines nor most travel insurance policies cover, so anyone anxious about conditions at their destination should talk to their operator about options rather than simply not turning up, and check their insurance wording for any extreme weather provisions before assuming cover. Related: our money guides, bills section, comparison guides and the latest UK news.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a maximum legal temperature for working in the UK?

No. The law requires a reasonable indoor temperature and HSE guidance sets a minimum of 16C, or 13C for strenuous work, but no legal maximum exists. Employers must still assess and manage heat risks.

Can I go home from work if it is too hot?

There is no automatic right to leave, but employers must act on serious heat risks. Raise it with your employer first; if a significant number of staff are affected, HSE guidance says a risk assessment should follow.

Can I claim compensation for heat-delayed trains?

Yes. Delay Repay applies regardless of cause, including heat speed restrictions, typically starting at 15 or 30 minutes of delay depending on the operator. Claim directly with the train company, usually within 28 days.

Do airlines owe compensation for heat disruption?

Fixed compensation usually does not apply because extreme weather counts as an extraordinary circumstance, but airlines must still provide care during long delays and a refund or rerouting if the flight is cancelled.

What counts as a heatwave in the UK?

Three consecutive days at or above the local threshold, which ranges from 25C in much of the north and west to 28C in the South East.