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Trafalgae Square - Fountains turn green as London heatwave hits 32C

Souper weather: bright sunshine and oxygen put into the water by the fountain system have created ideal conditions for the Trafalgar Square algae to bloom but the chlorination system was also blamed
Mark Prigg|Sri Carmichael
12 April 2012

The heatwave has turned Trafalgar Square's fountains green.

As London basked in temperatures hotter than Bangkok, by 1pm Heathrow had reached 29.3C, with a high of 32C predicted for about 4pm.

The heat has caused large amounts of green algae to form in the ponds surrounding Trafalgar Square's fountains.

Problems with the fountains chlorination system have been blamed for the growth, and the Greater London Authority, which oversees the fountains, confirmed today they will need to be drained and cleaned.

The problems come just months after the fountains were reopened following a year-long restoration project costing £190,000.

"The heatwave has led to the fountains having the perfect growing conditions for algae," said Dr Mark Spencer, a curator at the Natural History Museum.

"The temperature is perfect for growth, and the algae has sunlight, essential for photosynthesis, and oxygen, which is put into the water from the fountain."

The huge algae blooms can appear within days, and are largely harmless.

Trafalgar Square's green look come as figures show sunny day "sickies" are set to cost the economy as much as £190 million a day.

The first big heatwave since 2006 is expected to encourage tens of thousands of workers in the capital to call in with a fake illness.

Temperatures are predicted to hit 34C on Thursday. At lunchtime today a heatwave had not yet officially been declared.

The country was still at level 2 in the hot weather action plan, which indicates a heatwave is imminent, a Department of Health spokesman said.

Sales of cooling electric fans have shot up astronomically, with Comet reporting a 897 per cent rise over the last week compared with the previous month.

Tesco saw sales of electric fans increase by 1,900 per cent this week compared with last week, while Waitrose saw sales of meat for barbecues rise 89  per cent in the same period.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research said firms could lose an extra £4 million in the heatwave if staff arrive late on trains delayed by speed restrictions or because they avoid the sweaty rush-hour crush.

This is of particular concern in the capital where temperatures on the Tube are expected to be higher than on street level, causing people to faint.

Spending is also expected to fall by £6 million a day because of the hot weather.

Ming Choo, an economist at the CEBR, said: "Productivity is essential to the economy.

"The heat causes people to slow down and leave earlier and hence daily productivity will be slower.

"There is a fallacy that consumption rises during hot weather as more people are outside."

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