News 13/08/26

Today is provisionally the UK’s hottest day of the year after temperatures topped 38Celsius, hitting 38.1 in Kew Gardens, west London.

The Met Office said this is the fifth hottest day on record, surpassing the peak set on 26 June. It marks only the second time on record that 38 Celsius has been reached twice in one year, following 2022.

A couple who offered sexual services to drug and steal from men have been jailed after two victims died.

Adina Mihai and her partner Madalin Dumitru arranged meetings online with men paying for sex in their homes. Four victims were left unconscious after glasses of wine were spiked with the sedative GBL. Two men collapsed and died nearly a year apart in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

The UK is rapidly approaching another heat record this summer. Charlwood in Surrey, the nation’s hottest spot so far, stands at 37.6C, putting 38C set in late June within touching distance.

Wisley in Surrey reached 37.2C, while Kew Gardens in west London hit 37C. However, exceeding 38.5C for a record hottest August day remains unlikely.

Water companies can increase customer bills by an extra £3.4bn to meet infrastructure and environmental pressures.

Nearly a third of funding provisionally approved for 13 suppliers in England and Wales will maintain services, with the rest targeting demand from housebuilding, data centres, and forever chemicals. Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned it takes real money from family budgets, while environmentalists called the decision an insult.

Luxury department store Harvey Nichols has been bought by Sports Direct owner Frasers Group.

Mike Ashley’s firm takes control of its Knightsbridge flagship and international franchise. Immortalised in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, the business entered administration in June. Frasers chief executive Michael Murray called the store a British institution with significant potential, but warned meaningful change and significant restructuring are needed to ensure sustainability.

England’s emergency departments are experiencing their busiest period in history, with record heat cited as a key factor.

Over 2.4 million patients attended A&E each month across May, June and July, creating winter-level pressure. Extreme heat has caused dehydration, heatstroke, and heightened risks for heart, kidney, and respiratory conditions. Unions warn staff face inhumane conditions, with reports of workers collapsing and suffering seizures.

The Met Office has extended its amber extreme heat warning further to the west across England.

Originally applying to parts of the Midlands, the east, southeast, Yorkshire and London, it now includes northwestern areas like Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The warning also covers parts of the southwest, including Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has defended the force’s investigation into double murderer Simon Levy.

Levy was on bail and monitored by police when he murdered Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025, Sheryl Wilkins five months later, and raped a third woman. Acknowledging mistakes, Sir Mark told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that detectives worked seriously but lacked sufficient evidence for a charge.

While the exact release time varies by school, most exam results have now been made available.

That means hundreds of thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are finding out their grades and what their future holds today. University clearing lines are open for available places, and UCAS figures show more than a quarter of a million school leavers, 262,820 students, have secured an undergraduate place, up 3% on last year.

Polls are open in Clacton-on-Sea where an electorate of 79,785 voters can choose from 34 candidates, the highest number ever to stand in a British election.

Fifty-one polling stations have opened across Clacton and surrounding areas including Jaywick, Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze, as well as rural villages like St Osyth, Weeley and Great Bentley. Voters must present acceptable photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, to cast their ballot. For more on polling requirements, visit Tendring District Council.
Tendring District Council.

The rate of UK economic growth slowed but remained resilient despite the Iran war.

Gross domestic product grew 0.4% in the second quarter from April to June, according to the Office for National Statistics. It is a slight slowdown from 0.6% recorded in the first three months of the year. ONS director of economics statistics Liz McKeown said the economy remained relatively robust after a strong start to 2026.