Witney Town Council has announced that the Armed Forces event at The Leys Recreation Ground on Saturday, June 27, will not go ahead as planned.

The council said that this was because temperatures are “exceptionally high”, with the Met Office predicting they will reach 37°C in Witney.

They added that they “fully support this precautionary approach”.

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A spokesperson for Witney Town Council said: “Unfortunately, due to the continuing hot weather and following guidance from their respective headquarters, the Army Cadets and Air Cadets have been stood down and will no longer be running their Armed Forces Day event at the Leys on Saturday 27th June.

“With temperatures remaining exceptionally high, the decision has been made to minimise the risks associated with prolonged outdoor activity, and we fully support this precautionary approach.

“We would like to thank both organisations for their enthusiasm and commitment to supporting the event.

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“While we know this will be disappointing for many visitors, the health, wellbeing and safety of the cadets and their volunteers is of the utmost importance and must come first.

“They have already been in touch to express their disappointment and have said they hope to be offered the chance to return and run the event next year.

“We look forward to seeing our hardworking cadets before then at other events throughout the year and thank everyone for their understanding.”

The 66-year-old, who owns Diddly Squat Farm near Chipping Norton and runs The Farmer’s Dog pub off the A40 in West Oxfordshire.

England are back in action tonight (Tuesday, June 23) at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, taking on Ghana in Boston in their second group game, with kick-off at 9pm UK time.

Thomas Tuchel’s side began their campaign with a confident victory over Croatia in their opening match, settling early nerves and putting them in a strong position to reach the knock-out stages.

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The tournament, jointly hosted across cities in the US, has seen England based on the East Coast, where interest from ex-pats and travelling fans has been high as Tuchel bids to end the country’s long wait for another World Cup title.

Mr Clarkson has travelled over to Boston to watch the England game live tonight and has now given his thoughts on Tuchel, making a bold claim about the German coach.

Appearing on The Sun website’s exclusive football show from the US, Proper Football Daily, he said: “I loved the football England played against Croatia.

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“And I understand his half-time talk was very motivational and very clever as well. I love Tuchel. I really love him. Do I wish he was English? Yes. But he isn’t, so we’ve got the best man to win it for us.

“Tuchel makes lots of changes to shock teams. I seem to remember that from Chelsea. You see how he plays one game and think, ‘OK, that’s how he’s going to play it’.

“And then the next time he doesn’t play the same type of way. It’s genius.”

The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for extreme heat covering the county yesterday (Monday, June 22)

A red warning is the highest level of alert and means exceptionally hot and humid weather is expected.

This brings with it a risk of serious illness or death, and significant disruption to travel, energy supplies and day-to-day routines.

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A update from The Farmer’s Dog

“It turns out that when Britain reaches temperatures normally associated with southern Spain, certain things stop working properly.
As a result, Chops (our butcher’s counter) will be closed today and potentially for the remainder of the week. The… pic.twitter.com/FOFczZQCtB

— The Farmer’s Dog (@FamersDog) June 23, 2026

Forecasters say the heatwave affecting Oxfordshire will continue through the middle of this week, with the actual red warning set for Wednesday (June 24) and Thursday (June 25).

This severe heat has now had an effect on Mr Clarkson’s Cotswolds pub, The Farmer’s Dog, which he bought for around £1,000,000 and opened in the summer of 2024.

The watering hole in Asthall near Burford has the former tent from The Grand Tour on its grounds, housing a pop-up farm shop among other amenities within.

One of these is a butcher’s, called Chops, which has now been forced to close throughout this week due to the weather, as made official by an announcement today (Tuesday, June 23).

A statement from The Farmer’s Dog on X said: “It turns out that when Britain reaches temperatures normally associated with southern Spain, certain things stop working properly.

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“As a result, Chops (our butcher’s counter) will be closed today and potentially for the remainder of the week.

“The combination of extreme heat, refrigeration units and a giant tent has proved challenging. We’re working on solutions and will reopen as soon as it’s sensible to do so.

“Don’t worry, our famous sausage rolls will still be available from the garden bars and pub bar.

“Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Hops will remain open, although you may notice we’ve moved a few tills around to make life slightly more bearable for our team.

“And finally, a word on dogs. We love them. The clue is in the name. Normally, they’re always welcome.

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“But with very little shade on site and temperatures nudging towards 35°C and beyond, today might be a good day for them to stay somewhere cool and comfortable instead. Thank you for your understanding.”

The Farmer’s Dog describes itself as a celebration of British farming, with a strong focus on food and drink sourced from within the UK.

On the wider site there is also The Grand Tour tent, which features an outdoor kitchen and space for events linked to Mr Clarkson’s TV work.

Visitors will also find both Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Hawkstone merchandise on sale, reinforcing the connection to his Oxfordshire farm.

Since opening to the public in August 2024, the pub has quickly become a Cotswolds destination for fans of the show and tourists visiting the area.