The Newark Advertiser asked people’s opinions on this week’s heatwave and its relation to climate change

The Advertiser asked people’s opinions on this week’s heatwave for its weekly voxpop and whether they attributed changes in weather patterns to climate change.

Despite the start of autumn being on the first day of September, a heatwave brought temperatures of 30C and above throughout this week.

The country was affected by a plume of hot air driven by tropical storms pushing high pressure over the UK.

“I would say yes, it is climate change. We are destroying the planet and I don’t think these temperatures are normal for such a long period,” said Phil Barr.

His partner, Andrea Barr added: “Climate changes all the time, it is changing all the time but it is changing faster now.”

Jeanne Gabbitas: “I think it is climate change, it has got to be. We are not getting bad winters.

“Years ago it didn’t used to happen, your winters were your winters and summer was summer.

“Even abroad we are getting different temperatures, in our day we got the right seasons and the frost, we don’t really get the frost anymore.”

Mrs Brown said: “I am undecided. We always had heatwaves. I can remember when I was at school in the sixties, we had storming hot summers.

“You had to have your lessons outside because it was that hot.

“I think it comes in waves, possibly some of it is climate change but I wouldn’t say it’s all.”

The hottest day of the year was recorded yesterday (Thursday), with 32.6C in the southeast, beating the record of 32.2C recorded in early June.

Roger Peteet said: “It is not normal to have these temperatures right now but it happens now and again, it has happened in the past.

“But what can you do? It is just one of those things, people keep saying it is climate change, it is climate change on the telly and on the radio, so what can you do?”

Wendy Hardisty said: “It hasn’t been like this before, ever. All these floods and things keep happening all over the world, not just here.”