Amber heat health alert issued – with more hosepipe bans on the way
Heat health alerts across huge swathes of England have been upgraded to amber as the UK experiences its third heatwave of the summer.
A yellow heat health alert – indicating people with pre-existing health conditions, and those aged over 65, could be at higher risk – had been issued for the whole of England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
But the alerts for the West and East Midlands, the South West, South East, the East of England and London have now been upgraded.
It comes as a hosepipe ban comes into force in Yorkshire, with further bans for parts of Kent and Sussex on the way.
An amber alert means services such as transport and health services could be impacted by the heat, and that there may be increased demand for power.
Check the latest weather forecast here
Pic: UK Health Security Agency
Temperatures could reach 32C in parts of central and southern England on Friday, with the heatwave expected to continue through the weekend.
The alerts are in place until 9am on Monday.
The Environment Agency has said England is experiencing its driest start to a year since 1976.
Reservoir levels fell at nearly three-quarters of sites during June and are below average in all regions.
Water storage at four sites is classed as “exceptionally low”. These are Blagdon in Somerset (62%), Blithfield in Staffordshire (59%), Derwent Valley in Derbyshire (58%) and the Yorkshire Supply Group (55%).
The agency added that rainfall in almost a third of the areas it monitors was classed as below normal in June, while one region – covering Leicester and its surrounding towns – saw “notably low” rainfall for the time of year.
For England as a whole, June marked the fifth consecutive month of below average rainfall.
‘Don’t get me going’: Tempers flare over hosepipe ban
It’s day one of a county-wide hosepipe ban in Yorkshire and customers at a garden centre in Bradford are furious.
Incredulity at not just the inconvenience the restrictions cause them, but the infrastructure they feel failed to prevent the situation.
“Don’t get me going,” says one man wheeling compost through the greenhouse.
“I think it’s a bit crazy. I grow a lot of bonsai trees; it’s hard watering them. It takes me a good couple of hours to water them, whereas before it’d be about 15 minutes.”
He then had a word for the nation’s water companies.
“It’s the shareholders. They ought to nationalise water again.”
Another couple, also shopping for plants, make a comparison with Europe.
“You go abroad and they’re never short of water… never,” she says, before he added: “We’ve just been to Greece and it was 32, 33 [degrees] everyday.
“They water the lawns, they water the flowers, is there a shortage of water there?”
In a play centre on the other side of a greenhouse, we spoke to grandparents looking after little ones as they darted in and out of ball pits and playpens.
For one woman we spoke to, three heatwaves so far this summer and repeated droughts have prompted not fury, but some thoughts on the future.
“We need to be aware of climate change and the changes we have to make in terms of how we live our lives she said.
“How it affects your children, how it affects yourselves, and just how we take care of ourselves.”
Hosepipe ban starts
The first hosepipe ban of the year has come into force in Yorkshire today – and more have been announced for other regions.
Yorkshire Water has put restrictions in place across the region in a bid to protect dwindling water levels.
They cover activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools.
Read more:
What July’s weather has in store
What you need to know about the hosepipe bans
The water level at Booth Wood Reservoir, Yorkshire, has dropped below average. Pic: PA
South East Water has also announced a hosepipe ban for the parts of Kent and Sussex it supplies.
It said demand for drinking water has reached “record levels since May”, adding: “This situation has left us with no choice but to restrict the use of hose pipes and sprinklers, so we can help our reservoirs and underground water storage recover.”
“If we don’t put a hosepipe ban in place now, there’s a really high risk of customers experiencing widespread issues such as low pressure or no water,” it said.
The ban will come into force on Monday 18 July.
Customers who ignore the bans could face fines of up to £1,000.
Former British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua delivered a dose of reality to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul as he won their much-anticipated showdown.
Joshua scored three knockdowns before landing a huge right hit on Paul halfway through the sixth round.
The British fighter lifted Paul’s hand in a show of respect after the fight broadcast on the streaming platform Netflix.
Joshua landing the right hit that knocked out Paul. Pic: AP
“Jake Paul has done really well tonight. I want to give him his props, he got up, time and time again,” he said about his opponent.
Joshua said it “wasn’t the best performance”, adding: “It took a bit longer than expected. But the right hand finally found the destination.”
Joshua celebrating his win after the fight. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, Paul said: “I’m feeling good, that was fun. I love this sport. I gave it my all, It’s f****** crazy. I had a blast.
“I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport is about. I’mma (going to) come back and keep on winning.”
He added: “I just got tired to be honest. He did amazing and hits really hard.”
Jake Paul was knocked down three times before the final knockout in the sixth round. Pic: Reuters
The fight marked the end of a 14-month hiatus for Joshua, 36, while for 28-year-old Paul it was the biggest fight since his boxing career began in 2020.
At the weigh-in on Friday, Joshua boasted an almost two-stone advantage over Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since he entered the world of boxing.
Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion tipped the scales at 243.4lbs (17st 5lbs) for his fight against Paul in Miami, while Paul weighed in at 216lbs (15st 6lbs) – a hefty 1.9st difference.
Joshua, who could not weigh more than 245lbs, is the lightest he has been since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 when he was 240lbs. For his last fight against Daniel Dubois he weighed 252.5Ibs.
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua at the weigh-in. Pic: Reuters
It is also only the second time that Paul weighed in over cruiserweight limit – the other time was when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson. Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision with 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
UK
David Walliams dropped by publisher HarperCollins UK after allegations of inappropriate behaviour
UK
Family of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe pay tribute to ‘beautiful soul’ as teen appears in court charged with murder
The family of a nine-year-old girl stabbed to death have said she was a “beautiful soul” who was brave, kind-hearted and “always put a smile on people’s faces”.
Police were called to Lime Close in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, just before 6.10pm on Monday, where Aria Thorpe had suffered a single stab wound.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a tribute released by Avon and Somerset Police on Friday, the girl’s family on her mother’s side said: “For those who didn’t have the privilege of knowing Aria, she was the most beautiful little soul – happy-go-lucky, full of light, and joy.
“She loved to sing and dance, and she took such pride in dressing up, always wanting to look just like her mummy.”
Tom Thorpe, the girl’s father, said: “It’s hard to put into words how devastating it is, our little Aria, that you’re up there with the angels looking over us.”
It comes as a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared in court.
Pic: Avon and Somerset Police
Aria was a ‘precious girl’
In their statement, Aria’s family on her mother’s side said her death “has devastated us beyond words”.
“Our hearts are broken in a way we never imagined possible,” they added.
“As a family, we are holding one another close and doing everything we can to support each other through this unimaginable time.”
They said they were “truly touched by the lovely messages we have received”, before asking “that our privacy is respected, as we try to come to terms with the terrible loss of our precious girl”.
Flowers laid in memory of the young girl
‘Wacky ways and outright madness’
Mr Thorpe said: “How sad it’s going to be not hearing ‘Dad, how long left?’ on our long journeys back and forth at weekends.
He then said that Aria was “such a brave, kind-hearted and a beautiful innocent soul”, and “always put a smile on people’s faces with your wacky ways and just outright madness”.
Mr Thorpe added: “Your other little family down here in Portsmouth will forever miss you.
“We’ll miss you begging to go outside, even in the pouring rain just to have as much fun as possible in the little time we had at weekends.
“You will be greatly missed, you special little angel. A life gone far too early but I hope a life lived well. We all love you dearly. Goodnight darling.”
Teenager in court
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, where he was remanded.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was arrested in the Somerset village of Worle at 6.19pm on Monday.
He is next due in court on 16 March 2026. Appearing via video link from youth detention accommodation, he spoke only to confirm his name.
Judge Peter Blair KC set a provisional trial date for 15 June during the hearing.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024