As the UK swelters in a heatwave that has provisionally hit 36.4C in Yeovilton, Somerset, and with temperatures approaching 40C in some areas, workers at one of the country's largest cold storage facilities are enjoying what site manager John Edgoose calls “probably the best job at the moment”.
At Magnavale, near Grantham, the air hits -18C as soon as you step inside. Staff wear woolly hats, gloves and thermal suits while operating a slick production line that supplies frozen food to major supermarkets. Edgoose, who has worked there for 26 years, says: “I personally think it's a great place to work when it's really hot outside.” The facility, which employs about 160 people, can hold 145,000 pallets and sees around 200 lorries arrive daily to collect products.
“Workers at a -18C cold store near Grantham say they have the best jobs in the heatwave, as Dr Deborah Lee advises freezing socks to help sleep.”
Kyle Reidy, a 34-year-old staff member who has been at Magnavale for 18 years, says he has acclimatised to the cold and even misses it when he gets home. “Even after a 12-hour shift, sometimes you think I'd rather still be in the cold,” he adds. The site works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the icy temperatures are kept at -18C to comply with UK legislation.
But for the millions of Britons not working in a giant freezer, the heatwave is making sleep difficult. According to the Met Office, the scorching conditions are caused by a “heat dome”, with overnight temperatures remaining around 25C. Health specialists explain that the body needs to lower its core temperature by about 1C to 1.5C to initiate deep sleep, but elevated heat and humidity prevent this natural cooling.
Dr Deborah Lee, a health specialist from Doctor Fox, has shared a simple technique: put socks in the freezer. “Wearing a pair of slightly damp cotton socks to bed can help us bring our core body temperature down through a process called evaporative cooling,” she says. “Put your wet socks in the freezer right now so that they get nice and cool by tonight. Our feet play a huge part in helping our body's temperature regulate, so keeping them cool is vital.” She also recommends the “Egyptian method” of hanging a cool, wet towel in a doorway.
While workers at Magnavale can simply step inside their -18C workplace to escape the heat, for everyone else, a pair of frozen socks might be the next best thing.