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Thousands of people have been left without water on Sunday due to an issue at a Thames Water treatment works.

Thames Water apologised to residents in Godalming, Surrey, and said it was investigating.

Jeremy Hunt, the MP for the area, said a major incident had been declared. He posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was very concerned and had spoken to the CEO of Thames Water.

It follows issues caused by Storm Ciaran at Shalford water treatment works, Thames Water said.

Mr Hunt said he was told by the CEO at 2.50pm that 13,500 customers did not have water and a further 6,500 were expected to lose supply shortly.

The site controls had been reset and were being tested, he added.

Mr Hunt later said he had heard from Surrey Gold Command and the CEO of Thames Water that the company was hoping to bring the Shalford treatment works “back online within the next hour having identified the cause now”.

“They have significantly reduced water turbidity and are hopeful that the alarms will not trip once it has gone through the gravity filters. They won’t know for sure until early evening but looking more promising,” he tweeted.

“However, if successful the disruption will continue overnight and during tomorrow. Bottled water getting to vulnerable communities and water tankers to local hospitals.”

Surrey County Council confirmed a major incident had been declared in the area, telling Sky News it was “due to the number of properties affected” and also due to the incident occurring on a Sunday, when fewer staff are around.

In a separate statement the leader of the council, Tim Oliver, said: “Surrey County Council is continuing to work with partners across the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), following notification from Thames Water of a water shortage in the Guildford/Waverley areas.

“This has been declared a major incident by the LRF. All partners will continue to work closely with Thames Water, who are the lead agency in this incident, to inform and support residents in these areas, particularly those most vulnerable.”

Read more:
Flood warnings remain after Storm Ciaran – but rain expected to pass

Bottled water stations have been set up at the Crown Court car park in Godalming and Artington park and ride in Guildford.

Thames Water said it was also delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers.

Thames Water said its engineers were on site and tankers were being used to pump water into its supply network.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to those people who have no water or lower pressure than normal.

“[We] are doing all we can to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”

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Reform to win Greater Lincolnshire – follow mayoral election results as they come in

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Reform to win Greater Lincolnshire - follow mayoral election results as they come in

Six mayors are being elected in England, with most of the mayoralties last contested in 2021.

These include four combined authority mayors , otherwise known as metro mayors, as well as two city mayors.

Two of the mayors will take up new positions in the Hull and East Yorkshire, and Greater Lincolnshire combined authorities. The other mayoralties were all last contested in 2021.

Vote 2025 – latest updates

Metro mayors

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Greater Lincolnshire (REFORM GAIN)
• Hull and East Yorkshire
• West of England (LABOUR HOLD)

City mayors

• Doncaster (LABOUR HOLD)
• North Tyneside (LABOUR HOLD)

All of these mayoralties will be elected under a first-past-the-post electoral system, which is also used for Westminster parliamentary elections.

See below for more detailed breakdowns of results for each race.

Metro mayors

There are four metro mayors being elected in combined authorities. These mayors are elected by voters from several different areas and counting will take place at local council level. Tables will be updated as each local area reports its result.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

First established in 2017, the combined authority covers six areas. These are Peterborough, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire, and Cambridge local council areas.

Labour won the mayoralty from the Conservatives when it was last contested in 2021.

Greater Lincolnshire

Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns has won the race to be Greater Lincolnshire’s first mayor, with 104,133 votes to the Conservative candidate’s 64,585.

The combined authority covers nine areas. These are North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Boston, Lincoln, East Lindsey, West Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Kesteven, and South Holland local council areas.

Hull and East Yorkshire

This is a new mayoralty, being elected for the first time in 2025.

The combined authority area covers both Hull City and East Riding of Yorkshire local council areas.

West of England

Labour have avoided losing the West of England mayoralty to Reform, but their margin has been cut in half to just under 6,000 votes.

Labour won the mayoralty from the Conservatives when it was last contested in 2021 by a margin of 12,019 votes.

The combined authority covers three areas: Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset local council areas. The authority was established in 2017.

City mayors

There are two city mayors being elected, one for Doncaster and one for North Tyneside.

Labour’s Ros Jones, who has been the Mayor of Doncaster since 2013, has been re-elected, but came just 698 votes ahead of the Reform candidate.

Labour have managed to hold onto the mayoralty of North Tyneside with an even thinner majority of just 444 votes, with Reform coming in second place.

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NHS may offer weight loss jabs over the counter at pharmacies

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NHS may offer weight loss jabs over the counter at pharmacies

Patients will be able to get weight loss injections from pharmacies, according to reports. 

It’s claimed drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could be available over the counter after a short consultation – at the cost of an NHS prescription.

This would broaden access to these jabs considerably, as the health service currently restricts injections to those regarded as having the highest clinical need.

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Weight loss drugs ‘changing way we see obesity’

At the moment, there is a two-year waiting list for Wegovy on the NHS – and last year, research by Sky News showed the rollout is happening far more slowly than planned.

Thousands of people with severe obesity have been denied access to the treatment, with doctors previously claiming that a “soul-destroying” postcode lottery has emerged.

According to the Daily Mail, a multimillion-pound deal for a pilot scheme will be struck with a pharmaceutical firm, with a view to issuing prescriptions through chemists and health centres.

They would be priced at £9.90 – the same as an NHS prescription – and substantially less than the £150-a-month cost of obtaining these injections privately.

More on Nhs

But the reports have been described as “speculative”, with health experts warning obesity drugs must only be used under medical supervision by those who are eligible.

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The weight loss drug that’s ‘too good’

A government spokesperson said: “As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking across the board at how these drugs can be made available to more people who can benefit from them.

“The NHS is already tackling obesity in innovative ways, including through community care models and digital technologies, to help deliver these drugs as part of a rounded package of care.”

Previous estimates from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have suggested that 3.4 million people in England could benefit from weight loss injections.

But last December, NICE said these jabs would only be available to 220,000 patients on the NHS in the first three years – meaning millions of others could end up waiting up to 12 years for treatment.

Read more from Sky News:
Harrods targeted by cyberattackers

UK’s hottest start to May on record
Police horses attacked by dog in park

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‘I need weight loss drug but can’t get it’

Studies show people lose on average 15% of their body weight within months of starting treatment with Wegovy. The drug mimics a natural hormone and people feel fuller faster and for longer.

Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year and is linked to 200 different diseases.

Half of all obese people with three related problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, die within 10 years.

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UK weather: Warmest start to May on record – but will the hot spell continue?

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UK weather: Warmest start to May on record - but will the hot spell continue?

The UK has seen its warmest start to May on record as temperatures soared to over 29C in the spring sunshine.

The Met Office said 29.3C (84.7F) had been recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London, passing the previous 1 May record of 27.4C (81.3F) set in Lossiemouth in 1990.

Thursday was also the warmest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C (80F) reached in Wisley, Surrey, on Wednesday.

Follow latest updates: May record broken

A jogger runs along the sea front in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Thursday is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far, with forecasters predicting temperatures could hit 30C at the earliest point on record. Picture date: Thursday May 1, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story WEATHER Warm.  Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
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The seafront in Southend-on-Sea. Pic: PA

But the heat is not expected to last for the bank holiday weekend, with cooler weather starting to drift in from the north on Friday.

Temperatures are expected to ease by Friday and Saturday, meaning cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “Temperatures tomorrow will be slightly reduced from what we’ve seen today, possibly 26 or 27 degrees in the far southeast of England through the day tomorrow.”

More on Weather

What has led to the hot spell?

Forecasters said the hot spell has been due to the jet stream remaining stuck north of the country, allowing high pressure to settle.

Last month was also the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, and the third warmest April on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.

Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.

And Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.

Scientists see fingerprints of climate change all over tumbling records

Britain has basked in the early taste of summer.

The warmest May Day, the third warmest April and a spring that has so far beaten temperature records dating back to 1884.

But this is more than just natural variation.

Scientists see the fingerprints of climate change all over the tumbling records.

Maps released by data analysts Climate Central show that across large parts of the country, human-induced climate change has made the high temperatures four or even five times more likely.

The warm – and dry – weather this spring has led to a steep rise in wildfires.

Figures from Europe’s satellite monitoring service Copernicus show that more than twice as much land has been burned so far this year in the UK as the average for a whole year.

Latest data shows 29,484 hectares (72,857 acres) have been scorched in 2025, compared to a yearly average of 12,613 hectares (31,167 acres) between 2012 and 2024.

Temperatures will fall sharply into the Bank Holiday weekend.

But the fire risk remains ‘very high to extreme’ across much of Scotland and ‘very high’ for large parts of England.

The warmth that brings joy to many of us also brings jeopardy.

Boy’s body recovered from lake

Meanwhile, the recovery of a 16-year-old boy’s body from a lake in Nottingham prompted emergency services to warn about swimming in lakes and rivers.

Chief Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this case as a reminder of the devastating consequences of entering open water – regardless of whether people do so deliberately or inadvertently.”

A life guard sits in a booth as people swim in the outdoor pool, as temperatures are expected to reach 27 degrees Celsius, at London Fields Lido in east London, Britain May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Vitalii Yalahuzian
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A lifeguard at London Fields Lido in east London. Pic: Reuters


The London Fire Brigade said its crews responded to 565 water-related incidents last year and have already attended around 160 in the first quarter of this year, with incidents ranging from rescuing people to animals stranded on lakes and ponds.

‘Water temperatures can be dangerously cold’

Assistant commissioner for prevention and protection Craig Carter said. “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are. It can lead to water inhalation, and, in the worst cases, drowning.”

People photograph their ice creams during the warm weather in St James's Park, London. Thursday is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far, with forecasters predicting temperatures could hit 30C at the earliest point on record. Picture date: Thursday May 1, 2025.
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People enjoy their ice creams during in St James’s Park, London. Pic: PA

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offered similar warnings, advising those planning to swim at a lifeguarded beach to swim between the red and yellow flags.

Fire services warned that the warm weather means there is a “heightened” risk of grass and wildfires which can spread more easily during the dry spell, as firefighters have been battling what they described as a large wildfire in the Peak District.

The RAC also cautioned drivers on the roads, with spokesman Rod Dennis saying breakdowns are expected to “soar”, while the NHS reported searches for hay fever advice had doubled from Monday to Wednesday.

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