Tonight:
9°c
Tube too hot for cattle as station shops cash in
Amar Singh, Felix Allen and Lucia Binding02.07.09
As London headed for its hottest day of the year, shops across the Tube network were today accused of cashing in by overpricing bottled water.
At midday temperatures had reached 27C in central London, and were expected to rise to 32C during the afternoon.
This would have beaten Britain's highest temperature this year, 31.8C, which was recorded on Tuesday at Wisely in Surrey.
Temperatures on some parts of the Tube were already so high they made the network officially unfit for transporting cattle. The European legal maximum for moving cattle is 27C but the thermometer on the Bakerloo line in central London recorded temperatures exceeding 35C yesterday.
The Standard found humidity inside some carriages was at 59 per cent while the apparent temperature felt by passengers was 43C. The Northern line was almost as bad at 34.5C, while the Circle and Victoria lines reached 33.5C.
Overnight temperatures were also high, averaging 16C. “London had a very hot, humid and uncomfortable night,” said Dave Britten of the Met Office.
“However, the current heatwave is likely to end tomorrow, with showers predicted across London.”
Temperatures are still expected to hit 27C tomorrow before dropping to 24C over the weekend. The hottest day of the year came as an Evening Standard investigation found some Underground station shops sold mineral water to parched passengers at three times supermarket prices.
Although London Underground urges passengers to carry water during hot weather, a 500ml bottle of Buxton cost as much as £1.35 at Upper Crust in High Street Kensington station. It was one of several bottles we bought at stations along the Circle line.
At Treats in Baker Street station, a bottle of Volvic cost £1.10 — but only 38p at a nearby Tesco.
At Piece of Cake in Liverpool Street, Buxton mineral water cost £1.19 — at Waitrose it was just 40p.
Javed Abib, manager of Finlays in South Kensington — which sells a bottle of Volvic for 90p — said: “The cost of the bottle from the wholesalers has gone up. We buy it for 70p and sell it for 90p. I know it is cheaper in Tesco but I don't have a big car to pick it up — the wholesaler delivers directly to me. It is a free market. My rent is £98,000.”
The manager of Treats declined to comment and both Upper Crust and Piece of Cake were unavailable for comment. A Transport for London spokesman said it had no control over prices charged by traders who leased the retail space.
Jo Debank, of London Travelwatch, said: “There is a wider issue here about lack of facilities in stations and a lack of water fountains, which would be welcomed during this time.”
Air-conditioning systems are due to be installed on some Underground trains from next year — but only on the sub-surface lines.
Air-conditioned trains will be introduced on the Metropolitan line, then the Hammersmith and City, Circle and District lines.
Allergy sufferers were warned to brace themselves because of high pollen counts caused by the soaring temperatures.
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