London homeless charity explains how continuous heatwaves are putting those sleeping rough at risk
It comes as we head into our fifth heatwave this summer
We've been hearing from a local homeless charity about just how much of a threat dehydration is
It comes as we head into our fifth heatwave this summer with temperatures expected to be as high as 35 this week
Kishan Vekaria works in the frontline services at the Passage in Westminster, he explains why the homeless are at serious risk
"They're more likely to have needs around sort of alcohol, mental health, substance misuse. And that's already this immune system that is quite depleted.
So whether you've that is putting under more pressure with the heat, this is where more health issues can occur essentially."
Kishan adds one of the factors making this year so brutal is how long the heat lasts
"The warm weather can sometimes carry on to like five, six, seven o'clock in the evening. And that's often where sort of services shut. So during that time, this is where clients might not have access to sort of the water or the shade or the cooling facilities that they need to be in."
However Kishan adds the mental health aspect is particularly tough as it can impact both those using the service as well as the staff at the charity
"With extreme heat, people are generally bit more stressed, they're more irritable, there's often lack of sleep, I think that can affect people. That might mean people kind of get into more conflict, for example, because of the stress that they might be under with the heat.
Also people are taking medication and the medication that they're taking for the mental health is quite strong and how that kind of that would kind of the heat would kind of interact with their body that will kind of make people more susceptible to kind of health issues in essence."
Typically, the topic of homelessness is spoken about more during the winter months when it's bitterly cold across England. Kishan says the summer months with extreme heat can be just as tough, if not worse
"This sort of common misconception is because it's warmer, people will be safe to, it'll be safe for people to see, they don't feel the sort of impacts of rough sleeping outside as much as they do in the winter.
There are often a lot more provisions available during the winter.
But I think there needs to be just as much during the summer for clients to seek the shelter and the support that they need during times of extreme heat where it kind of continues for a longer period during the day and often into the night as well."