Wessex water announces first hosepipe ban in 50 years as Gurkhas fight UK wildfires
The wildfire crisis is getting worse On the hillsides above the south Wales valleys, some of the soldiers carrying water to exhausted firefighters are Nepalese. Gurkhas have been deployed to South Wales to help crews working 10- and 11-hour shifts against ten large fires, with around 100 personnel sent at the weekend and a further […]
1 month ago
Salamina fires: Two dead and hundreds evacuated as twin blazes hit Greek island
Europe continues to battle wildfires Two people have died and more than 500 have been evacuated by sea after two wildfires broke out “almost simultaneously” on Salamina, the Greek island west of Athens, officials said on Sunday. Around 200 firefighters were working to stop the fronts converging. What is happening on Salamina The first blaze […]
1 month ago
The summer Britain realised climate change was real – and has consequences
Even the most staunch deniers have melted under the heat The scene across the nation in the last few days has felt apocalyptic – the United Kingdom is on fire, homes are burning, infrastructure is crumbling and people are dying from the heat. It is a scene which experts have been warning us about for […]
1 month ago
Disposable barbecues banned from sale as Andy Burnham warns Britain is a ‘tinderbox’
The heatwave has put a stop to disposable BBQs The government has issued a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues in Great Britain, warning that the single-use grills pose a “significant risk to the public” during the current drought and heatwave. Guidance published online on Friday tells retailers the products “must not be […]
1 month ago
Stourbridge fire: Homes gutted as 11 wildfires break out across the West Midlands
Firefighters face ‘extreme’ demand At least six homes have been gutted by a wildfire in Stourbridge, one of 11 blazes to break out across the West Midlands on the hottest day of the year, with residents ordered to evacuate and a child taken to hospital. West Midlands Fire Service said it was alerted just before […]
1 month ago
UK records hottest day of the year as Kew Gardens hits 38.1C
UK heatwave reaches scorching new peak The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year, with a provisional 38.1C at Kew Gardens in west London on Thursday, the country’s fifth hottest day since records began. The reading surpasses the 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on 26 June, as the fifth heatwave of 2026 […]
1 month ago