West Midlands crews make progress tackling wildfires after ‘extensive’ devastation Fire crews are making progress tackling huge blazes in the West Midlands that led to thousands of 999 calls and caused “extensive” devastation, a fire chief said. Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill, of West Midlands Fire Service, said one huge blaze in Stourbridge, which forced
Farage wins in Clacton as police contest ‘credible threat’ claim at count Nigel Farage has won the Clacton by-election amid contested claims he was told by police not to attend the election count due to a “credible threat” against him. The Reform UK leader pre-empted the official declaration by telling supporters he had won “fairly
Two people seriously injured after train with 150 on board derails Two people have been seriously injured after a train with around 150 people on board derailed near Lewes in East Sussex. Multiple emergency services are at the scene of the incident, which happened near Lewes railway station on Thursday afternoon and involved a Southern
UK has hottest day of year so far as temperatures hit 38.1C The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures provisionally reached 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office said. It is the second time this year the country has seen temperatures reach 38C, and the
Huge fires threaten to tear through homes in West Midlands Huge fires have threatened to tear through homes in the West Midlands after dramatic footage circulating online showed enormous flames coming from buildings and a golf course. West Midlands Fire Service said it was facing “extreme levels of demand” due to a fire in Stourbridge
Do not treat customers like a blank cheque, Burnham warns water companies Andy Burnham has warned water companies against treating customers like “a blank cheque” after the regulator provisionally allowed them to unexpectedly further raise bills. Millions of households are set to see unexpected increases to their water bills after the industry watchdog gave suppliers
A-level top grades rise for third year in a row, likely driven by maths scores The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades has risen for the third year in a row, likely driven by the popularity of maths and students scoring highly in it. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers in England, Wales and Northern
World Cup and June’s heatwave help UK economy withstand Iran war pressures Britain’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter but a boost from heatwaves and the World Cup helped offset impacts from the Iran war in a better-than-expected performance in June, official figures have shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic
UK could see hottest day of year as parts of England may hit 38C The UK could see its hottest day of the year so far as parts of England may hit 38C during the peak of the fifth heatwave of the summer. Rare amber “extreme heat” warnings have been issued by the Met Office
Burnham to consider disposable BBQ ban amid heatwave and wildfire risk Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the UK. The Prime Minister will chair an emergency Cobra committee later on Wednesday in response to