Oxford News
Met Office issues extreme warnings amid record-breaking UK heatwave
According to the Met Office, the sweltering heat could last until at least Thursday, sparking weather warnings and concerns for vulnerable people.
Forecasters have said there is “growing confidence” that this week could break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6°C, which was set in 1976 in Southampton.
In Oxfordshire, towns and villages, along with Oxford itself, are set to be between 34°C and 36°C throughout this week, with Thursday set to be the spike.
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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned people to expect significant impacts across health and social care services, along with a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
The extreme heat could also bring disruptions to rail, road and air travel, with the possibility of some tarmac melting, according to the Met Office.
On Monday, National Rail advised travellers to check their journeys in advance, allow for extra time, and to carry water.
Over the coming days, humid conditions are forecast alongside potentially tropical nights, when the overnight temperature does not fall below 20°C, making it feel “muggier” than last month’s heatwave, the weather service said.
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For Monday, central southern England could see highs of up to 34°C, with the temperature set to climb to 37°C on Tuesday in southern England and south-east Wales, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said.
“Then Wednesday and Thursday, both 38°C, but there’s potential for it to go higher, and then by Friday, coming down a little bit, so we’ll see 33°C, and then it should ease off into the weekend but still stay quite warm, even into next week, although it won’t be anywhere near as warm as this week,” he added.
An extreme amber heat warning has been issued by the Met Office from Monday until Thursday, flagging potential health impacts for people vulnerable to extreme heat and heat-related issues for the wider population, as well as a possible increase in water safety incidents.
Monday and Tuesday’s warning covers most of southern England, central and eastern Wales, and much of the Midlands, while Wednesday and Thursday’s alert also include parts of Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and Cheshire.
People in the alert area are advised to drink plenty of fluids, keep out of the sun, and avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm, the weather service said.
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Mr Partridge said: “It’s a very unusual, very rare spell of very hot weather, so it’s one of those ones where people should take care, try to keep their houses as cool as possible, check in on those that are vulnerable, so the very young and very old, in particular, are more vulnerable to extreme heat.
“But everybody will feel this because it will be very hot and the overnight temperatures, in particular, will mean that people won’t be getting as much sleep, probably, as they would usually do, so it will affect everyone.
“There’s also potential for impacts to transport as well.
“We know that when things get very warm, there can sometimes be issues with railway lines, and even the possibility that some roads might not be doing too well.
“If it gets too warm, you may even see a little bit of tarmac melting at times.”
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The hottest temperatures are expected in areas between Bristol and London and south of the M4, with most of England and Wales set to hit more than 30C this week, he said.
Separate amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UKHSA, which now cover most of England from Monday morning until Friday night.
A UKHSA yellow heat alert is also in place for the North East of England during the same period.
Last summer was the hottest on record for the UK, with a mean temperature of 16.1°C between the start of June and the end of August, according to the Met Office.
The previous record was held by summer 2018, followed by 2006, 2003, 2022 and 1976.
The Change.org surpassed the 500,000 milestone just before Thursday afternoon, August 6 and continues to rise at speed.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK are demanding the government do not let Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole out of jail early.
Some 5,000 people are expected to be released early under sentencing changes, down from 6,000 after ministers exempted rapists and “serious” child sex offenders as part of the scheme to tackle overcrowding in jails.
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Cole and Bowers remain eligible to be freed halfway through their 13-year sentences after they were convicted of manslaughter in 2020 following Pc Harper’s death in 2019
As she backed the calls, widow Lissie Harper said: “Government has punched us in the gut… they should be ashamed of themselves.
“Hopefully we can make the current Government come to their senses and realise we cannot put people like this back on our streets. Justice should mean justice and serving the sentence given.”
Aileen O’Connor, who chairs the Thames Valley Police Federation, said releasing Cole and Bowers would anger and demoralise serving officers in the area.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she supported the Police Federation in considering a judicial review.
She told Today: “I’m not arguing against early release. We’ve had early release even under Conservatives.
“I’m against early release of this dangerous category of rapists, paedophiles, killers, including the killers of Pc Andrew Harper.”
Thames Valley Police has released a CCTV image of a man they are searching for in relation to money reportedly being fraudulently withdrawn in Oxfordshire, Ascot and London.
The force said that on May 20, the suspected offender obtained the bank card and PIN number of the victim, a woman in her 20s, which were being posted to her address.
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They then proceeded to withdraw thousands of pounds from the victim’s account over the next 12 days, before the woman became aware and blocked the card.
The money was withdrawn from cash machines at several locations, including NatWest, TSB and Nationwide branches in Witney, HSBC in Chiswick, Nationwide in Oxford, and cash machines at Tesco and Sainsbury’s in Ascot.
This was between 20 May and 1 June 2026.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable David Mathieson, said: “I am appealing to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity at the cash machines between the dates we are investigating, or has information that may assist us to please get in touch.
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“If you recognise the man in the image, or if this is you, please contact us.
“Anyone with information should call 101 or make an online report, via our website, quoting crime reference number 43260273378.
“If you don’t want to speak directly with police, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
“If you suspect your card or account has been compromised, contact your bank immediately.”
Comedian David Mitchell stars as John “Ludwig” Taylor, a reclusive puzzle designer who assumes the identity of his twin brother – a detective chief inspector – after he goes missing.
The hit series also features Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin, with Fleabag star Sian Clifford and Scottish actor Mark Bonnar joining the cast as regulars in the second series which is due to be broadcast in August, with a third series already commissioned.
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The detective drama set in Cambridge is one of the BBC’s most successful in terms of viewing figures for many years.
Mr Mitchell has strong Oxfordshire connections – he grew up in Oxford where he enjoyed watching Inspector Morse on ITV, and was a pupil at Abingdon School.
The BBC has confirmed that Ludwig will return for its second series later this month, with all six episodes to be released as a box set on iPlayer from the same date.
The newly confirmed release date is Thursday, August 20 at 9pm on BBC One, confirming what the BBC had previously teased only as an August 2026 return.
Perhaps an added bonus for fans is that, rather than waiting week by week, they will be able to binge the entire box set on iPlayer as soon as the opening episode airs.
David Mitchell returns in his role as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, now working officially as a Crime Scene Consultant for the Cambridge Police Authority, teaming up with DCI Russell Carter on seemingly “impossible” crimes.
No longer masquerading as James, he is “more Ludwig than ever”, brilliant at puzzles but hopeless at almost everything else – the fate of his brother, though, still eludes him.
Returning alongside Mitchell are Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy Betts-Taylor, Dipo Ola as DI Russell Carter, Dorothy Atkinson as DCS Carol Shaw, Ralph Ineson as Chief Constable Ziegler, Karl Pilkington as DI Matt Neville and Dylan Hughes as Henry Betts-Taylor.
The new series also introduces new faces, including Mark Bonnar (Guilt, Line of Duty) as newspaper editor Gareth Fisher and Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as local MP Joanne Kemper.
Ben Ashenden and Rumi Sutton co-star as DC Ethan Cole and DC Caitlin Sullivan respectively.
The BBC will be hoping to repeat the runaway success of the first series.
Ludwig launched in 2024 to strong reviews and sizeable audiences, drawing more than 9.5 million viewers and ranking among the BBC’s biggest scripted hits of the year, according to the Radio Times.
It also earned a 97 per cent score on reviews site Rotten Tomatoes, cementing its reputation as a quirky detective drama with puzzles at the heart of the plot.
Mark Brotherhood is the series creator.
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