Ice cream and lolly sales set to break record as UK swelters through heatwave

Sales of paddling pools and fans have also soared

Sales of ice creams and lollies are expected to reach record highs this week as the UK prepares for next week’s heatwave.

The Met Office has issued an “amber” extreme heat warning for much of England and Wales on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with temperatures predicted to reach up to 38C in London.

Supermarkets have reported an increase in ice cream sales, with Waitrose revealing that sales had risen by 20 per cent on last week, and sun care product sales were up by 220 per cent.

The supermarket also said that searches for canned cocktails on its website were up by 188 per cent on last month.

Tesco said it has sold 14 times more paddling pools over the past week than the week before, and sales of inflatable sprinklers and water games have increased by 1,568 per cent.

It added that it will sell a record 9 million ice creams and lollies this week, as well as 900,000 packs of BBQ meat, 2 million packs of sausages, nearly 3 million punnets of strawberries and more than 5.5 million bottles of wine.

Lakeland said sales of a patio midge and mosquito repeller machine were up 53 per cent on last week as households planned to spend evenings outside, and the retailer had sold 20 per cent more insulated cooler bags.

The high temperatures in the capital have seen Londoners advised to download an app that lets users know the closest water refill station.

Called The Refill, the app maps hundreds of public water fountains available in the capital and the stores such as Costa Coffee, Greggs and Morrisons which have signed up for free drinking water.

Steve Hynd, policy manager at City to Sea, the charity behind the app, said: “As the UK heats up this weekend, it’s important people know where to access free drinking water to stay hydrated and to stay safe.

“Small regular sips of water is going to be key as temperatures could soar above 30 degrees. The Refill app lets people do this without buying expensive and polluting single-use plastic water bottles.”

Additional reporting by PA