Heatwave in East Lothian: Beaches busy but hot spell set to come to an end

Guidance was issued urging residents and visitors to keep hydrated and to stay out of the sun at peak times.

The Met Office confirmed that Charterhall, in the Scottish Borders, had provisionally set a new all-time record temperature for Scotland of 34.8C (94.6F) on Tuesday, with East Lothian not far behind.

Many of the county’s coastal car parks were jam-packed, including Gullane, with the beach there “extremely busy” with visitors as 320 vehicles filled the car park on Monday and a further 100 cars split between Marine Drive and nearby Goosegreen.

Car parks at Longniddry Bents No. 2, Yellowcraig and Tyninghame were all full by lunchtime.

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council told the Courier yesterday (Wednesday): “Attendance at coastal sites/beaches was very similar to previous days, with Longniddry, Yellowcraig, Gullane and Tyninghame the most popular sites and car parks filling up by late morning.

“Although ‘behaviour’ has been good with people enjoying themselves, yesterday saw more concerns about rubbish/litter being left at sites and not within bins.”

'Majority responsible'

The spokeswoman added: “Unfortunately the volume of traffic was such that parking problems were experienced. At Longniddry No. 2, multiple cars were blocking the emergency entrance; car owners [were] spoken to and moved but [the emergency entrance] kept being filled although cones were in place.

“Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of visitors were responsible, with little evidence of inappropriate open fires or littering.”

In Prestonpans, a caring resident helped travellers battling the heat by leaving hand-held fans at a bus stop, a gesture which attracted praise online.

Elsewhere, Alanda Black, owner of Alandas Gelato in North Berwick, said that the shop had been much busier over the last few days and it was great to see people out enjoying the sunshine.

She said: “It’s definitely been much busier, I think everyone has been flocking to the coast to take advantage of this heatwave so it’s definitely been a lot busier than usual.”

But she was not phased by the increasing numbers of visitors, saying the shop had everything in place to cope with the demand – and the heat.

She added: “Our team take it with a pinch of salt and they are working really well.

“We’ve got air-con units in and stuff like that and everything’s pretty organised.

“Everyone has been really friendly to our team as well, which we really appreciate.”

'Nice to get sunshine'

Alanda was also positive about the economic impact the weather had brought, with so many people coming to visit the coast.

She said: “I definitely think it’s [the weather] good, it brings money to the area, it brings tourism to the area and we’ve got such a beautiful coast here, so it’s nice to see people come and enjoy it.

“I hope it continues – it’s always nice to get some sunshine.”

Meanwhile, steps were being taken at East Links Family Park, near West Barns, to ensure the animals were coping with the rising temperatures.

Barry Cowan, senior park manager at the popular attraction, said: “They have all got shelters that they can go into.

“We have turned a couple of shelters around so they are facing away from direct sunlight.

“The sheep are all sheared and the pigs cannot sweat so we have put lots of extra water so they can get mud to roll around in.

“We are checking throughout the day that they have all got lots of water and any other procedures.”

Mr Cowan said the popular tourist attraction had not seen a massive influx of visitors.

He added: “I think people are either heeding the warning and staying at home or going to the beach.”

Stay hydrated

The council also issued advice to people in the face of the amber weather warning for extreme heat that was issued by the Met Office.

People were encouraged to stay hydrated and look out for vulnerable people, such as older people or those with underlying health issues, who could be struggling to keep cool.

Guidance was issued urging people to stay indoors or shaded when the sun was at its hottest and to take on plenty of fluids.

Alcohol was to be avoided as it could leave people dehydrated and similarly “extreme physical exertion” was warned against.

Tom Reid, head of infrastructure at the council, was pleased to say they had largely coped with the influx of visitors.

He said: “East Lothian’s coast and countryside proved to be a popular destination at the weekend, with many visitors enjoying our open spaces, scenery and attractions.

“The arrangements which we have in place to enable both local residents and visitors to enjoy East Lothian safely and responsibly have been working well.

'Daily patrols'

“Our seasonal rangers were again out and about, engaging with visitors – most of whom appeared to be enjoying themselves and respecting the local environment.

“Part of our approach is a series of daily patrols in each of the popular sites advising people who may be camping on the need to ‘leave no trace’ and take away all litter.

“The dangers of open fires and barbecues, especially during this prolonged period of dry weather, is also something we have to be very conscious of at this time, and we are promoting the importance of following the Scottish Outdoor Code and refraining from starting a fire during prolonged dry spells.

“National safety campaigns are also part of this busy season’s advice to visitors and we have been sharing appropriate messages, for example around water safety and the dangers of children using inflatables in open stretches of water, including the sea, where they can so quickly drift out.

“Also, although the air temperature may be high, water temperatures can be deceptively low and can catch out some swimmers, particularly in deeper areas.

“We welcome visitors to our beaches and, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, would ask that people act responsibly to enjoy themselves and to respect the natural environment.”

'Use common sense'

Willie Thomson, who farms at Wheatrig Farm, between Haddington and Longniddry, told the Courier how the heatwave was causing an earlier harvest but stressed the dangers that wildfires posed to crops as a result of the dry, hot weather.

He said: “Things are ripening very quickly, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s raising huge risks of combines going on fire or tractors overheating and not being able to work in this heat. There is a risk of wildfire to these standing crops – they are very vulnerable when it is as hot and dry as this.

“We are really appealing to people when they are camping to not have fires or disposable barbecues.”

Mr Thomson grows crops such as wheat and barley but said that other farmers who relied on irrigation were finding the dry conditions worrying for crop yields.

He added: “The cereal crops are ripening off anyway, but vegetable crops are needing irrigation and the wildfire aspect is preying on everyone’s mind.

“We appeal to everyone to use common sense and not take risks.”

Temperatures are set to drop over the coming days, with a peak of 19C forecast in Haddington today (Thursday). Tomorrow (Friday) shows a further decrease with a high of 17C and rain showers are forecast for the weekend.