Severe weather in the parks
Find our guidance on staying safe during severe weather, including advice to protect yourself, other visitors, wildlife and the landscape, as well as information on closures and impacted park services.
Amber heat health alert
Updated: 8 July 2026
Visitor safety guidance
Amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for multiple areas including southern England, covering all parks and green spaces. The alerts are in effect from 9am on Wednesday 8 July to 9pm on Sunday 12 July.
During periods of high temperatures, visitors are reminded that:
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all park
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Litter, especially glass, must be placed in bins or taken home if bins are full (glass bottles can focus sunlight and ignite fires)
- Water is available at fountains throughout all parks and green spaces, and visitors should travel with reusable bottles to stay hydrated
- Swimming in any lake or waterbody within the Royal Parks is forbidden apart from in the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park during designated public swimming sessions.
Closures and impacted services during severe weather
Check the list of parks below to see how severe weather is affecting park services and whether any facilities or services are currently closed. This section is updated regularly whenever changes to opening times, services, or facilities occur.
- Slides and metal equipment at Bushy Park playground are currently closed off and will remain inaccessible until further notice
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- The wide accessible slide at Greenwich Park playground is currently closed off and will remain inaccessible until further notice. All other slides remain open; however, warning notices are in place for visitors due to high temperatures
- From 9 July, the tall metal water play pumps will also be closed off and remain inaccessible until further notice, due to being in direct sunlight
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- Slides and metal equipment at Hyde Park playground are currently closed off and will remain inaccessible until further notice
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park, apart from in the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park during designated public swimming sessions.
- Buck Hill playground remains open as usual, with signage in place to encourage visitors to be cautious in high temperatures
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- Both slides at Petersham playground are currently closed off and will remain inaccessible until further notice
- Between 8 and 10 July, all equestrian activity will cease past 12 noon where temperatures exceed 30 degrees
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- St. James's Park playground remains open as usual, with signage in place to remind visitors to be cautious in high temperatures
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- The following playgrounds remains open as usual, with signage in place to remind visitors to be cautious in high temperatures:
- Gloucester Gate playground
- Hanover Gate playground
- Marylebone Green playground
- Primrose Hill playground
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely.
- Horseferry playground remains open as usual, with signage in place to remind visitors to be cautious in high temperatures
- BBQs and open fires are strictly prohibited in all parks
- Cigarette butts must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely
- Swimming is forbidden in any lake, pond or waterbody throughout the park.
Preventing fires in the parks
To keep visitors and wildlife safe, we do not permit BBQs in any area of any park. It only takes one falling ember onto dry grass to start a terrible fire, which can spread rapidly, pose a risk to life and devastate the environment, destroying wildlife and historic parkland.
No one ever believes it’ll be their actions that cause a fire, but fires can start easily, particularly in the current weather conditions. Please take care of yourselves, others, the parks’ wildlife and the landscapes by enjoying a picnic, not a BBQ, and by taking your litter home if the bins are full.
Darren Share, Director of Parks at The Royal Parks
Staying safe around water
“It is understandable that people are looking for ways to stay cool in this hot weather but please remember to stick to only swimming in the Lido during opening times, in order to prevent an awful incident.
During designated public swimming sessions, the Lido is always manned with qualified lifeguards and support staff, and there are several ways swimmers can help themselves to stay safe. People should never enter the water after drinking alcohol, should stay strictly within the marked parameters of the Lido, ensure all children are supervised, minimise the time they spend in direct sunlight and speak to a member of staff if they feel unwell.
Deon de Jager, Head of Health and Safety at The Royal Parks
