SWELTERING temperatures saw islanders wilting yesterday, as the island experienced the hottest day since July 2006.

Guernsey Met Office recorded 28.2C at the airport, although coastal areas would have been several degrees cooler.

The director of public health, Dr Stephen Bridgman, issued a fresh warning to islanders and the elderly.

‘Heat and high degrees tend to affect the older person because they are less able to regulate their body temperatures, especially those over 80.’

‘The message is to keep out of the sun and, if you are in it, use plenty of sunscreen and don’t get burnt. It [heatstroke] can be a problem if people are not sensible – people need to regulate the temperature in their cars and homes. People may be at risk if they are in rooms without any ventilation,’ he said.

Dr Bridgman (pictured) said that although the elderly might be prone to heatstroke, it could affect anyone, and it occurred when a person’s body rose above the normal temperature of about 36.9C.

‘The symptoms are feeling dizzy, unwell and feeling dozy.’

He said if a person was suffering from it, the first thing to do was to cool their body down.

He added that, unlike the UK, the Health and Social Service Department was not expecting a rise in hospital admissions due to the heat.