We cover news from public bodies and utility companies for UK households on power cuts, weather, water, health, safety and security. Each report includes the date and sources, with links to our guides.
An Emergency Alert will be sent to phones across England and Wales from about 19:00 on 14 August 2026, as the Government bans disposable barbecue sales and deploys military support to wildfire…
Fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to 519 wildfires in August 2026, the highest monthly total recorded, within 1,004 across July and August, the National Fire Chiefs Council has…
Joint Fire Control, which serves two Welsh fire and rescue services, activated Operation Willow Beck after receiving more than 2,500 calls in a day during the summer wildfires, against around 200 on a…
South West Water has imposed temporary hosepipe restrictions on households in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from Saturday 8 August 2026, after months of below average rainfall and a drought…
An amber extreme heat warning has been issued for parts of Norfolk for Thursday, with highs of 35C forecast in Downham Market, during a drought that has left rivers and ponds drying up.
The Met Office said England and Wales was on course for the driest July since records began, with 5.6mm of rain recorded in England and another heatwave forecast for London.
The Environment Agency declared drought across East Anglia on Wednesday 29 July 2026, and Essex & Suffolk Water has announced a Temporary Use Ban across its whole supply area, enforced from 3 August.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued Heat Health Alerts for parts of England from Tuesday to Thursday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 35°C in southeastern England on Wednesday.
The Met Office says wildfire conditions will stay elevated across much of England and Wales this week, as heat health alerts cover parts of England from Tuesday to Thursday.
The Environment Agency declared drought across more than two thirds of England on 10 August 2026, including Affinity Water's Central and East regions, after record hot dry weather.
Natural Resources Wales has declared drought status for the Gwynedd, Ynys Môn, Clwyd, Dee and Upper Severn catchments, with further areas of South and West Wales moved to prolonged dry weather status.
The UK Health Security Agency has updated its hot weather guidance for England, lowering the age at which older people are treated as at higher risk of heat harm from 75 to 65.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum have extended a Very High wildfire risk warning for Central Highlands, Southern and Eastern Scotland until Friday 24 July.
South East Water has announced that its hosepipe ban will extend to customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire from 25 July 2026, following restrictions already in force in Kent since 3…
Natural Resources Wales moved catchments in North Wales, the Upper Severn and South East Wales into prolonged dry weather status on 16 July 2026, with several areas later moved to drought status.
A wildfire near Glenmore in the Cairngorms National Park, first reported shortly before 12pm on 15 July 2026, grew to around 10 square kilometres and led to evacuations, road closures and a major…
South Staffs Water has asked all its customers to use water for essential purposes only after demand reached record levels in prolonged hot, dry weather, warning that restrictions may follow.
Analysis by the Met Office, Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimates around 2,700 excess deaths across England and Wales during the May and June…
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water asked customers to help keep taps flowing after demand passed a billion litres a day during the third heatwave of 2026.
Southern Water brought in hosepipe restrictions for its customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on 10 July 2026, one of a series of temporary use bans introduced by water companies during a dry…