UK Faces Hottest Day Of Year As Dover Border Checks Trigger Traffic Queues

The UK is facing its hottest day of the year so far as temperatures reached 28.4C at Heathrow in west London, Cranwell in Lincolnshire and Cambridge on Friday afternoon, with the Met Office confirming forecasts to keep climbing above 30C over the bank holiday weekend.

“- Published The UK is experiencing the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures forecast to continue to climb above 30C over the bank holiday weekend”

BBC

Transport disruption is tied to border processing at the Port of Dover, where passengers earlier faced delays of several hours due to the introduction of a new entry and exit system.

BBC

The BBC said warnings of potential congestion on roads to the port between Friday and Sunday include "some 18,000 cars expected to pass through," as families attempt a half-term getaway.

The Guardian reported that the RAC expects almost 19 million drivers to hit Britain’s roads over the long weekend, 1 million more than the same holiday period in 2025, while coastal roads are predicted to be among the busiest.

In parallel, the BBC said amber health alerts have been issued for parts of England as the UK Health Security Agency warned of risks to children and those aged over 65.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to caution travellers bound for Greece regarding the potential for "serious injury or death," including specific warnings that "Quad biking carries the risk of serious injury or death."

The Chronicle Live report said a 42-year-old British dad died earlier this week while operating a quad bike on the Greek island of Corfu, with his 15-year-old son also present and sustaining serious injuries.

Chronicle Live

In the UK, the BBC described amber heat health alerts for the Midlands, eastern and south-east England, upgrading from yellow on Friday morning, with an amber alert meaning a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services.

The Guardian said ferry passengers travelling through the Port of Dover have been warned to expect long queues for border checks with the implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), and it noted that the EES software for the French borders is yet to be fully operational.

The Hull Live weather coverage added that the Met Office declared Friday, May 22 as "the warmest day of the year so far" at midday, with a "notable heatwave" forecast for the bank holiday weekend.

The BBC said the warmest day of the year in the UK was recorded on Friday, with temperatures reaching 28.4C in some areas and breaking the previous high of 26.6C at London's Kew Gardens on 8 April, as hot, humid air pushes across north-west Europe.

“Temperatures have already begun to climb and those who like the warmer weather will be basking in the knowledge that there is plenty more to come this late May bank holiday weekend - and well into the following half-term week”

Hull Live

At the same time, the Guardian reported that hour-long processing waits were reported at the border by 6am on Friday, even as expensively installed kiosks sit at the port and police conduct manual checks.

The Minute Mirror coverage said the Port of Dover reported several hours of delays for passengers heading to Europe and that congestion on roads leading to the port would continue through the weekend, with an estimated 18,000 cars expected between Friday and Sunday.

For health impacts, the BBC said the rest of England is under yellow heat health alerts, meaning adverse weather is "likely to affect vulnerable groups," and it added that by Wednesday some areas are expected to be under heatwave conditions defined by the Met Office.

For travel planning, the BBC quoted RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Sean Kimberlin saying the sunny weather is playing a role in the traffic and that it was set to be the "busiest late May bank holiday since 2024" despite concerns over high fuel prices.