Buck Moon 2025 seen across the south of England
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The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Over 2.8million Brits can sidestep the hosepipe ban and may not even know it – check all the exceptions
MILLIONS of Brits can sidestep the many hosepipe bands springing up around the country – but may not know it. As much of England faces a blanket ban on using hosepipes to counter water shortages, there are a group of people who will avoid the penalty. 1 Southern Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban – affecting almost one million customers – due to prolonged dry weather. The move will come into force for residents across much of Hampshire and all of the Isle of Wight from 9am on Monday, July 21. It will ban the use of a hosepipe for activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or filling a paddling pool. Managing director Tim McMahon apologised to customers and said: "Only by working together can we make sure there's enough water to go around for customers and the environment." Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and South East Water are also bringing in, or have brought in bans. Anyone who breaches the ban without permission from the water company could be fined up to £1,000. But anyone who holds a Blue Badge, issued by the government, can carry on using the watering method. More than 2.8million people currently have the badges, which can be displayed in vehicles. These are issued to people with disabilities or health conditions to allow them to park closer to their destination. They cost up to £10 in England, £20 in Scotland and are free in Wales. They usually last up to three years. Under regulations governing water companies and hosepipe ban enforcement, people who are registered disabled, Blue Badge holders or on a water companies' priority services register, are exempt from the ban. Rainfall across England was 20% less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said. More heatwave conditions have followed in July, with the Met Office warning weather extremes such as heat have become the "norm" for the UK as a result of climate change driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Drought was declared in East and West Midlands on Tuesday, July 15 with the region joining swathes of northern England in drought status. Yorkshire Water became the first major water company to bring in a hosepipe ban which came into effect on Friday, July 11. South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex from July 18, and Thames Water is bringing in a ban from Tuesday, July 22 for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. Southern Water said restrictions would come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from July 21. How do you qualify for a Blue Badge? You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies: You receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA). You receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can't walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the 'moving around' activity of the mobility component). You are registered blind (severely sight impaired). You receive a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement. You have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking. You receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the 'planning and following journeys' activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress. If you have any score other than 10 points under descriptor E, in the 'planning and following journeys' activity of PIP you may still be eligible for a Blue Badge, but you do not automatically qualify. This includes if you have a higher score of 12. You will have to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility which will be assessed as part of your application. Other conditions and benefits also make a person eligible, including if you cannot walk at all or you cannot walk without help from someone else. Click here to find out more. SOURCE: UK Government.
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scots brace for 740-mile rain storm in 'messy' weekend washout
It's fair to say that Scots have seen mixed weather lately, with last weekend's heatwave (July 11 - July 13) replaced by downpours at the start of this week. But this weekend is to see a stark contrast to the searing heat of last week, as a huge 740-mile wall of rain is headed for the UK. Weather mapping service WX Charts, which uses MetDesk data, shows a bright blue barrier of rain that stretches from the southwest of England all the way up to the very north of Scotland. A strong low-pressure system from the Atlantic, which is centred around Edinburgh, is to bring an influx of showers, thunderstorms and a noticeable decrease in temperature starting on Friday, July 18 and worsening on Saturday, July 19. While the downpours are to hit much of the UK, Scotland is to see the worst of it, with the heaviest rainfall rates expected around Inverness and Aberdeen. These areas are forecast to see more than eight millimetres per hour on Saturday afternoon. There's potential for travel disruption and localised flooding, especially in northern and central Scotland where the heaviest rain is anticipated. Sunday is to bring yet more heavy rainfall for the whole of Scotland, with the worst hit areas again forecast in the Highlands. Temperatures throughout the weekend are to be significantly cooler than last, with the mercury to see a max of 24C on Friday in the northeast, before the worst of the rain begins. The rest of the weekend will see temperatures hovering in the mid to high teens as the thundery showers drench the country. Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill described the start to the weekend as a 'messy picture'. He said: "As we're going into the weekend, and with the heat and the humidity that we have across us, there's a fairly strong chance that we're going to see some heavy, perhaps even thundery rain feeding up from the south, and that's likely to become pretty widespread across much of the country as we go through Saturday and into Sunday. "I'm expecting temperatures to drop, turning a bit cooler and a bit fresher, a bit more comfortable perhaps, as we go through the latter part of the weekend." The Met Office's three day forecast for Saturday, July, 19 to Monday, July, 21 warns: "Staying cloudy further north and west with outbreaks of showery rain. Turning cooler this weekend with widespread thundery showers. Remaining unsettled into the new week." This showery spell comes after Scots basked in weather reaching as high as 32.2C last weekend in Aviemore, on the hottest day since 2023 for Scotland last Saturday, July 12. A temperature of 32C in Scotland has only been recorded on six previous occasions since 1961, according to the BBC. The record for the hottest day was set in July 2022 when 34.8C was reached in the Scottish Borders. This heatwave coincided with TRNSMT festival, when 150,000 fans descended on Glasgow Green in searing temperatures. Headliners included 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol, who played in scorching heat on the festival's main stage. The heatwave lasted all three days of last weekend, where much of the country saw temperatures nearing 30C.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Field of crops near Hursley destroyed as fire takes hold
A large field of crops has been destroyed in a and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said crews were called to the field at Hursley, near Winchester, Hampshire, shortly before 14:00 BST on six hectares (15 acres) of standing crops were involved in the blaze which was brought under control using beaters and multiple hose reel urged the public to stay vigilant for fires in the countryside following the hot, dry weather and not to light campfires, barbecues or discard cigarettes and other litter which could start fires. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
