LONDON: Dangerous floods are set to hit parts of the UK amid thunderstorms lashing the country, the Met Office has warned.
It comes as Thames Water, which supplies 15 million people, is putting a hosepipe ban in place next week, saying water levels in its reservoirs were “much lower than usual”.
The Met Office had issued an amber thunderstorm warning covering most of the south east of England, including parts of London, from 11am until 10pm on Wednesday, meaning people should expect flooding and disruption.
The warning said: “Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life.”
Parts of the UK have faced two days of heavy downpours and flooding, and a yellow thunderstorm warning has been in place across most of southern England, Wales and central areas, including the Midlands.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has asked people to only attend the emergency department if their condition is urgent or life-threatening, after water leaked into the building following heavy rain in Yorkshire on Tuesday.
A drought was officially declared across most of England following the driest July for 50 years and the driest first half of the year since 1976.
The Environment Agency has said it will take weeks of rain to replenish water sources and end the drought, as Thames Water joined Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water in implementing a hosepipe ban. South West Water and Yorkshire Water will follow suit on August 23 and 26 respectively – meaning more than 29.4 million customers across the UK will be prohibited from using hosepipes by the end of next week. In a statement on its website, Thames Water said: “We have more teams reducing leakage than ever before, working 24/7 to find and fix more than 1,100 leaks every week. The recent heatwaves mean that demand for water is also at record levels. “We’ve been working around the clock to supply everyone, and customers have been brilliant at saving water where they can.”
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa decided in principle on...
LONDON: Angela Rayner said she would not publish the tax advice she received on the sale of her council house, as Sir...
LONDON: GPs in England are set to consider next steps after an “overwhelming” majority voted to reject Government...
LONDON: A Conservative MP has had a “non-crime hate incident” deleted after complaining that an allegation of...
LONDON: It is “unforgivable” the Tories did not follow through on their pledge to level up left behind areas of...
LONDON: Snow has fallen in parts of south-west England and Wales.Two inches settled on the ground in North Wyke, just...
LONDON: Pro-Palestine protesters occupied the entrance to a Government department in Whitehall over its perceived...
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday stressed the need to further strengthen trade and economic ties...