900 extra deaths during heatwave

More than 900 deaths above average were registered in the week which saw Britain basking in the hottest temperatures yet recorded, figures reveal today.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that in the week ending 15 August there were 907 more deaths recorded than the average for comparable weeks in the previous five years.

But the statisticians sound a note of caution about reading too much into the latest figures.

Peter Goldblatt, of the ONS's health division, points out that the number of deaths naturally varies each week by about 500 so it is impossible to say whether the 907 deaths were due to the weather. But the ONS concedes it is likely that some were due to the extreme heat, which hit a record 38.1C (100.6F) on Sunday 10 August in Gravesend.

The situation was far worse in France, where thousands of pensioners are estimated to have died during the heatwave.

French undertakers say more than 10,000 may have died during the hot weather, although a definitive figure is not expected for weeks.

In Britain, the Department of Health said it did not collect figures on heat-related deaths, but was not aware of any substantial extra burden on the NHS.

"We were aware of an increase in demand in some NHS areas during the hot weather, mainly in the south of England," a spokesman said. "We were not aware of any trust being unable to cope with the level of demand.

"Some ambulance services had quite a lot of extra calls at the time and a lot were able to deal with the problems at the scene.

"There was a knock-on effect with more people going to A&E but we did not see any hospitals unable to cope."

In the lead-up to the hottest day, the DoH issued advice on how to cope with the heat and reduce its effects, as did many local NHS organisations.

"We don't have reporting systems for heat-related deaths as we do for other things.

"It would be for someone like the ONS to conduct research such as going through death certificates. Even that would not produce a definite indication of whether a death was caused by the heat," the spokesman added.

The ONS's weekly mortality figures showed a total of 10,132 deaths were registered in the week ending 15 August - 907 up on the five-year average of 9225.

This compared with only 78 deaths more than average registered in the previous week.