The Trafalgar, in Wimbledon, said it would not open on Tuesday 26 May due to “extreme weather”, citing staff wellbeing and the impact of heat on service standards.
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Record-breaking weather
The closure came as parts of England experienced record-breaking May temperatures, with the UK recording a provisional high of 34.8°C at Kew Gardens on Monday. Forecasters warned temperatures could reach 35°C in some areas on Tuesday, while the UK Health Security Agency issued an amber heat health alert covering much of England, including London.
Pub landlord Oli Carter-Esdale told The Morning Advertiser (MA) that the decision was made “primarily to protect staff welfare” after conditions inside the bar became difficult to manage.
He said: “The conditions behind the bar in an older building like ours without internal ventilation such as air conditioning meant that the temperature inside the bar was reaching above 34°C.
“Add that into a glasswash kicking out steam every time it’s opened and the temperature only rises.”
Carter-Esdale said the heat also risked affecting the quality of service, with glasses being stored in high ambient temperatures.
“There are ways to mitigate this, such as using chilled glasses from a fridge, but this is not a long-term solution,” he said.
While the pub’s cellar temperature was maintained by a reliable cooling unit, Carter-Esdale said the external heat exchange unit for the line chiller had struggled in direct sun during the extreme heat.
‘Staff take priority’
He added: “At the end of the day, to my mind, the staff must take priority over a day’s takings. No one wants to work in those conditions and nor should they have to.
“Given that exhaustion leads to illness and time off, which only further damages the business, it was the most sensible solution, twinned with the fact that the customer experience would not have been at its best in such circumstances.”
The landlord said the decision reflected a wider issue for operators as more frequent extreme weather events put pressure on older pub buildings.
“Given the increasing risks of climate change and more extreme weather conditions, I expect many sites will have to be retrofitted with air conditioning units,” he said.
“This is not going to be cheap. Where guidance comes from on that front, I don’t know. But I do think legislation around workers not having to work in excessive temperatures should be put in place.”
He added the pub would now look at ways to mitigate against similar conditions over the summer.
There is currently no legal maximum working temperature in the UK, although employers have a duty of care to keep staff safe and maintain reasonable working conditions. Unions including the TUC and UNISON have previously called for a legal maximum indoor working temperature of 30°C, or 27°C for strenuous work.
The incident underlines the increasingly complex impact of warmer weather on pubs. While sunshine can boost footfall and outdoor trade, operators have warned that extreme heat can create operational challenges around staff wellbeing, customer comfort and product quality.
