SALES were booming at Redditch stores as shoppers emptied shelves of fans, water and ice creams in a bid to cool off from the heatwave.
As the mercury soared to the mid 30s, residents hit the shops to find ways to bring the temperature down.
The town’s B&Q store on Jinnah Road sold out of fans after shoppers filled their trolleys.
Customer advisor, Hannah Barber, said: “We completely sold out of fans on Wednesday. We also had £14 paddling pools and we put them out and then they were gone.
“People have been coming in with trolleys and filling them up with six or seven. I went to get one after work and they were all gone.”
Sales at supermarket Sainsbury’s also surged.
Deputy manager Steve Waghorn said: “Fan sales have gone up five-fold, but the sale of ice creams and pop has gone up ten-fold.
“When the temperature goes past 28 degrees that’s when people really want to cool down.”
Others sought shade at the town’s pubs.
Dan Swift, duty manager at The Rising Sun, said: “We were busy on Wednesday. Luckily we can open the windows around the whole pub as it was quite muggy.”
But it wasn’t all sunshine for commuters left stranded in the heat at Redditch Railway Station with hour long delays.
Despite passengers being given several reasons – including the tracks expanding in the sun – London Midland confirmed it was due to overhead wire problems.
Meanwhile Pip Singleton, dog warden for Worcestershire, said she’d received calls about dogs left in cars as temperatures soared: “On average when the weather is like this we receive one or two calls in Redditch, and that’s not counting calls to the police, RSPCA and those that the public deal with themselves.”
With the warm weather set to continue, ambulance bosses say people should apply plenty of suncream, wear a hat and loose-fitting clothes and avoid being out between 11am and 3pm. They should also drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol or caffeinated drinks.
