Sales of fans, ice cubes and sunscreen surge during May UK heatwave

Fans are selling at a rate of three a minute and sales of ice cubes have tripled, retailers have said, as shoppers search for everything from ice baths to cooling eye masks to combat May’s record temperatures. The UK experienced a “tropical night” on Monday after temperatures earlier in the day had hit a provisional all-time meteorological spring record of 34.8C (94.6F) at Kew Gardens in south-west London. The record was broken again on Tuesday when temperatures provisionally reached 35C (95F) at Heathrow and Kew Gardens . The heat is driving a surge in demand for certain goods. Tesco said that, compared with the previous week, sales of ice cubes had tripled during the heatwave, while sunscreen sales rose almost sixfold. A spokesperson said: “We sold more than 30 times as many electric fans.” British homes have historically been built to trap heat, leading to stifling indoor conditions during recent heatwaves. But retail data shows how shoppers are spending to stay comfortable. An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning , double the figure from three years ago, as Britons complain of “unliveable” conditions during high temperatures. Portable units with power ratings of about 1kW are slightly more common than more powerful built-in versions, which can use up to 2.7kW of power – more than an electric oven. Experts suggest the increase in ownership is the result of more people working from home and rising summer temperatures. …