28 May 2026
Water safety experts warn of open water dangers as UK heatwave claims lives
Image description: Life preserver and caution sign near water. The sign reads ‘Caution area of water. Children must be supervised at all times. Life saving device for emergency use only. Photo by Tijan Manandhar on Unsplash A deadly bank holiday weekend Water safety experts have issued urgent warnings about the dangers of open water […]
28 May 2026
South East Water’s heatwave crisis: hundreds without water in Kent and Sussex
Image description: An outdoor water tap in sharp focus, with a blurred green background. Photo by Luis Tosta on Unsplash Record heat, record demand Across the UK’s hottest May bank holiday on record, temperatures hit 35°C at Heathrow and South East Water in Kent and Sussex found its system pushed beyond capacity. Demand peaked at 670 […]
26 May 2026
UK ‘built for climate that no longer exists’, government advisers warn
Photo by Chris Pagan The UK is “built for a climate that no longer exists” and faces mounting threats to its coastlines, water supplies and marine ecosystems unless urgent action is taken, according to a landmark government report published last week. The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the government’s independent climate advisory body, released its Fourth Independent […]
27 May 2025
Prolonged UK and Ireland marine heatwave
Sea temperatures around the UK and Ireland have risen over the past week, with some regions now measuring up to 4°C above average — a spike that could impact marine ecosystems and swimmers alike. Dr Ségolène Berthou at the Met Office explained that “marine heatwaves in UK waters usually last around two to four […]
04 Jun 2024
Unprecedented marine heatwave boosted UK land temperature record
Just as the UK is in the midst of a new marine heatwave, new analysis has been published of the unprecedented sea surface temperatures of up to 5 °C higher than normal off northwest Europe in June last year. A new study by a consortium of British and Irish institutions led by Met Office scientists, […]
30 Aug 2023
Water reserves last summer ran dangerously low
An investigation by Unearthed reveals How England’s water companies struggled in last summer’s heatwaves Water supplies ran so low during last summer’s drought that England’s environmental regulator warned that companies might break the law to keep the taps running, documents obtained by Unearthed reveal. The internal briefings – obtained under freedom of information laws – […]
01 Aug 2023
Last year’s UK heatwave ‘sign of things to come’
2022 was a record-breaking year for weather and is a sign of the UK’s changing climate. The Met Office has published the annual ‘State of the UK Climate’ report, examining the weather of 2022 in the context of long-term climate records. The report highlights how the UK’s climate continues to change, with recent decades warmer, […]
