Lake District runner airlifted to safety during 55 mile race
Temperatures in Grisedale reached 29C (85F) on Saturday, according to The Met Office.PMRT said the rescue lasted two and a half hours and involved 11 team members, as well as the coastguard.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Residents evacuated from homes as 125 firefighters battle wildfire
Residents have been temporarily evacuated from their homes after a wildfire broke out in East London on Monday evening. Around 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were used to bring the blaze near Clemence Road, Dagenham under control, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. LFB added that the fire had covered approximately eight hectares of grass and shrubland. While fences, sheds and garden furniture were damaged, firefighters successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to homes in the area. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Station commander Matt Hayward said: 'Firefighters worked extremely hard to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby properties. 'The fire had reached some garden fences, sheds and garden furniture. As well as our jets, we used wildfire beaters to beat the flames and stop them from reaching the properties. 'We also thank Barking and Dagenham Council, who had put fire breaks in place, which helped stop the fire from reaching the properties. 'We also had great support from our blue light colleagues, Essex Fire and Rescue Service and the London Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team. 'Firefighters will remain at the scene for the next few hours to continue to dampen down the surrounding area.' One of four wildfire response vehicles currently being trialled by LFB was deployed to the incident. The vehicles, which have off-road capabilities, enabling equipment to be brought closer to fires on open ground and allow firefighters to pump water and drive, making tackling grass fires quicker and safer. More than 75 calls were received from 6.30pm on Monday regarding the incident, with the fire brought under control by 9.46pm.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
More droughts expected to be declared in England after heatwaves
More English regions are expected to join the North West and Yorkshire in an official drought on Tuesday after yet another hot and dry spell of announcement is likely to come after the National Drought Group – which manages preparations for dry conditions in England – meets on Tuesday a drought means that water companies put in place their plans to manage water resources. That can involve hosepipe bans, but not are driven by natural weather patterns, but climate change and our growing use of water are raising the risks of water shortages, the Environment Agency says. The National Drought Group is made up of the Environment Agency, government, Met Office, water companies and are no official droughts in Wales and Northern Ireland at the moment. Scotland does not declare droughts but monitors "water scarcity".Parts of eastern Scotland are in "moderate" scarcity – the second most extreme category – which means there is "clear" environmental England there is no single definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, which has knock-on effects for nature, agriculture and water had its driest spring in more than 100 years, followed by three heatwaves in quick succession for some areas in June and intense warmth has drawn even more moisture out of the while it may be raining where you live today, it's unlikely to be enough to bring water levels back to normal across the Environment Agency (EA) declares droughts in England based on reservoir levels, river flows and how dry the soil is, alongside long-term weather forecasts."We certainly expect more regions to enter drought status," said Richard Thompson, deputy director of water resources at the EA, adding that further details would be announced later on a "reasonable worst-case scenario" - where regions get 80% of their long-term average rainfall - another five regions across central and southern England could enter drought status by September, joining Yorkshire and the North West, according to the long-term forecasts suggest roughly normal levels of rainfall over the next few months, however. If further droughts are declared, it does not automatically mean that hosepipe bans will be put in place, but these can often regions, such as parts of Kent and Sussex, have already declared hosepipe bans, but are not in drought status. The EA warned last month that England's water supplies could face a shortfall of six billion litres a day by 2055 without dramatic action, driven by rising temperatures, population growth and other change is expected to lead to drier summers on average, while more intense heatwaves mean more water can be lost via evaporation. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
The areas of England that could face drought this year
England faces the prospect of widespread drought conditions by September, with up to five additional regions potentially declared drought zones, leading to more hosepipe bans, the Environment Agency has warned. This stark forecast comes as the National Drought Group, a coalition of sector leaders and officials, prepares to meet on Tuesday to discuss the escalating situation. Currently, three areas – Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, and Merseyside and Cheshire – are already experiencing drought, with three water companies having already implemented hosepipe bans following one of the UK's driest springs on record. Under the Environment Agency 's "reasonable worst-case scenario," millions more people across the Midlands and central southern regions could face these restrictions this year. The watchdog predicts that if England receives only 80 per cent of its long-term average rainfall alongside warm temperatures in the coming weeks, the total number of areas designated as "drought" status could reach eight by the end of summer. This scenario would see the West Midlands, East Midlands, Thames Wessex, parts of the Solent and South Downs, parts of East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire also entering drought conditions. To prepare for and tackle the impacts, the Environment Agency said it has been working closely with water companies, which are following their drought plans to ensure supply, as well as the National Farmers' Union and local authorities. In a briefing to reporters on Monday, Richard Thompson, water resources deputy director of the watchdog, said: 'We certainly expect more regions to enter drought status. 'We'll be announcing that at the National Drought group tomorrow. That could extend further, depending under a reasonable worst case scenario. 'Obviously, if we were to get average rainfall or above, it might slow down the rate in which new parts of the country enter official drought status, but we do expect more.' Mr Thompson said the watchdog is planning towards its reasonable worst case scenario but has also 'stress tested' these preparations against some more extreme scenarios where hot and dry conditions could push even more areas into drought, and faster. 'We continue to respond to the current situation, but also to prepare for all eventualities,' he said. It comes after Thames Water became the latest utility to announce a hosepipe ban, which will begin next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. The water company said the measure will be brought in after the Environment Agency placed its area into the 'prolonged dry weather category'. The Environment Agency said it expects to see other companies follow with their own hosepipe bans as they stick to their drought plans, although this will also be dependent on the rainfall and temperatures in the coming weeks. Scientists said the recent extreme conditions have been made more likely due to human-caused climate change, bringing wide-ranging impacts on farmers and the environment. Stuart Sampson, drought manager at the Environment Agency, said the situation for farmers has been 'deteriorating' with already low levels in irrigation reservoirs prompting concerns for the rest of the summer. Some farmers have been reporting poor crop quality as well as lower yields on livestock, while fears are growing over the impact that conditions could have on winter feed. Anger is growing among farmers in East Anglia, who face an abstraction ban preventing them from irrigating crops due to low river levels, while a hosepipe ban has not been put in place. The Environment Agency said it has carried out fish rescues as the higher temperatures cause fish die-offs, as well as blue-green algae blooms in waterways, which can be harmful to ecosystems, pets and people using the water. Meanwhile, canal and river trusts have reported restrictions and closures, caused by the low levels in reservoirs that supply the networks. 'These are in a worse position than in any other droughts over the past 20 years,' Mr Sampson said. While the Environment Agency is planning for its reasonable worst case scenario, Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office said July is likely to see more changeable weather, with sporadic rainfall and some hot spells. And for the longer-term outlook, Mr Lang said there is 'no strong signal' for it being very dry or extremely wet. 'It could go either way, but the most likely situation is that we will have somewhere near average rainfall for the UK and also for England and Wales as a whole,' he said. Asked how this year compares with the famous drought year of 1976 and the record temperatures of 2022, Mr Sampson said the Environment Agency is not expecting to see the same level of impact. He said this is because the county is better prepared now than in 1976, which was also preceded by a dry winter and previous summer, unlike the weather seen in 2024. Meanwhile, the extreme heat in 2022 brought on a 'flash drought' that saw drought conditions occurring 'really, really quickly', he added. On wildfires, Mr Thompson said the watchdog is aware reports have been increasing and is working closely with local authorities to ensure emergency services are ready to respond. 'We haven't had any widespread reports so far,' he said, but added that the south and east of the country are more likely to see wildfires if more are to happen.
