Residents whose village homes were destroyed in a wildfire on the UK’s hottest day ever fear tinder-dry grassland and recent blazes just a mile away risk turning their lives upside down again.
Eighteen houses were razed to the ground in Wennington, east London, as 40.2°C heat fanned flames that swept across grassland and incinerated properties on 19 July, 2022.
Families were forced to flee as walls of flame engulfed homes, with fire leaping across the main road through the village in the borough of Havering.
Stunning solar eclipse dazzles Europe – in pictures
From Aberdeen to Penzance, from Aberystwyth to Hull, skywatchers were out in force yesterday to see the best solar eclipse in a generation.
In pictures
The spectacle continues
A once-in-a-lifetime experience for many
The event sparked huge interest for people across the UK as the Moon covered more than 90 per cent of the Sun.
It was the first time for many, with the last full eclipse occurring in August 1999. However, eclipse enthusiasts will have to wait until 23 September 2090 for the next one.
A scramble for eclipse glasses
Looking directly at the eclipse with the naked eye, or even sunglasses, can cause permanent damage, so a scramble for eclipse glasses ensued around the country.
Huge queues formed at shops which still had stock left, while many had already sold out and were forced to turn away customers.
Temperatures to hit 38°C today as amber warning expanded
Sweltering temperatures of up to 38°C are set to hit the UK today.
The Met Office has today issued an updated amber extreme heat warning for areas across the UK lasting from 9:00 to 23:00.
The relentless heat means that this summer is likely to be the hottest on record.
A dangerous period of heat
The sweltering temperatures forecast today mark the peak of the UK’s latest heatwave.
Tropical nights, where temperatures fail to drop below 20°C, are also expected as humid air spreads into western areas, which can place additional stress on the body.
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An extraordinarily dry period
The lack of rain has piled pressure on farming, freight shipping and energy production, after the UK saw its driest July in 190 years.
Up to 27 million people find themselves under water-use restrictions and 1,017 wildfires have devastated vegetation across England and Wales so far this year, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Temperature records likely to be beaten
More long-standing temperature records are likely to be broken over the coming days.
- Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35°C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.
- If temperatures reach 36°C or higher, 2026 will become the first year to record four separate days at or above that threshold.
- If temperatures reach 38°C today, there is a chance that the record for the hottest August day, which currently stands at 38.5°C, could be broken.
- Provided August temperatures remain average or above for the month, this summer will replace 2025 as the warmest on record.
The heatwave in pictures
Firefighters call for water bomb aircraft to tackle wildfires
Firefighters have called for “wildfire-fighting aircraft” to help combat spate of blazes as Britain braces for another heatwave, with temperatures set to rise above 35°C, possibly reaching 38°C.
The ‘dangerous’ scam tricking users into authorising
Concerns have been raised by the consumer group Which? over a “dangerous” scam that tricks victims into authorising card payments.
Familiar tactics
Which? warned that scammers may use similar tactics to those used in authorised push payment (APP) scams – where people are manipulated into making a bank transfer.
However, in this scam, victims are instead convinced to approve card payments.
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Victims may face difficulty in getting their money back
Which? warned that victims may struggle to claim for payments they have authorised to a legitimate company, as the company has provided the intended services, even though it is part of a chain of fraud.
How to protect yourself from scams
- Never share sensitive information.
- If you receive an unexpected call, ring your bank immediately.
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Universities at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers finish their degrees
Some universities are at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers have finished their degrees, experts have warned.
Bankruptcies, mergers and course closures are expected to accelerate from 2030 because of a projected decline in the population of 18-year-olds.
Why are universities struggling?
An immigration crackdown on lucrative oversea students and limits on tuition fees for British students has taken a financial toll on universities.
- Analysts previously said at least 119 higher education providers, accounting for 43 per cent of the sector, are “struggling financially” because of budget deficits.
Looming mergers
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think-tank, said that more mergers between institutions will “definitely” happen.
- Hillman said it is predicted that over the next five years, student numbers will drop despite a record number of 18-year-olds securing their first choice this year.
- The Russell Group of elite universities will likely snap these up and could mean that less prestigious universities lose over 25 per cent of their undergraduate student fee income, according to a report by HEPI.
Courses closing
Mergers and a decline in applications to specialist institutions could see a decline in the number of courses available.
This is already being seen, with around 27,000 courses available in clearing this year, compared to 30,000 reported in previous years, according to Ucas.
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Concern raised over vape fluid chemical – what we know
Pregnant women should be warned of a “potential harm” linked to a common chemical used to flavour vapes, scientists have said.
What you need to know
Vanillin study
Research has found that vanillin, a flavouring in e-cigarettes, could “compromise core processes of early human development”.
Pregnancy warning
Mothers-to-be should be alerted to the findings, said study lead Prof Prue Talbot from University of California Riverside.
Vape packaging
The researchers called on regulators to consider mandatory ingredient disclosure on vape packaging.
A closer look at the science
What the US study found
- The US scientists exposed embryonic stem cells to vanillin in a series of lab tests.
- They found that even low doses, known as nanomolar concentrations, led to the early-stage cells losing the ability to develop.
- “Our data predict that nanomolar concentrations of vanillin may reach the embryo in pregnant women who vape,” Prof Talbot said.
- Marian Knight, professor of maternal and child population health at the University of Oxford, said the study was “well designed”.
- However, she noted that the way in which cells were exposed to the vanillin is “very different from how the cells of a developing embryo might come in contact with vanillin”.
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Caught the eclipse bug? Here’s where to see it next year
If yesterday’s solar eclipse ignited your interest in astronomical phenomena, you’re in luck.
There are more eclipses to come in 2027 and 2028.
What you need to know
On 2 August 2027, a total solar eclipse will cross Southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, with the path of totality lasting up to six minutes and 23 seconds near Luxor, Egypt. In 2028, there will be a total solar eclipse on 22 July crossing Australia and New Zealand.
There will also be annular eclipses on 6 February 2027 and 26 January 2028.
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How often do these events occur?
These events occur somewhere on Earth around every one-to-two years and create a “ring of fire” when the Moon is in front of the Sun, but too far away to block it entirely.
The 2027 annular eclipse will be visible along a path crossing South America and Africa, while the 2028 annular eclipse will cross parts of South America, the Atlantic, Europe and Africa.
Where and how to see the 2027 total eclipse
- In Spain, the zone of totality will include the province of Cadiz, part of Malaga province, the southernmost areas of the Granada and Almeria provinces and the Strait of Gibraltar.
- In North Africa, the eclipse will last up to six minutes and 23 seconds in Luxor, Egypt. Also in the path of totality are parts of Algeria, Gibraltar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.
How stair walking could slash early death risk
Avoiding escalators or lifts could cut your risk of an early death as well as staving off heart attacks, heart failure and stroke, according to a study.
What you need to know
Stair study
Choosing the stairs is an “overlooked” way to get daily exercise, found researchers from the University of East Anglia.
Less likely to die
Regular stair climbers were 24 per cent less likely to die from any cause compared with those who don’t use the stairs as often.
Heart health
The findings suggest stair climbing may be linked to a fall in heart attacks and stroke.
What scientists say
It’s a good option for people who don’t have much time or easy access to exercise. Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts.
Dr Sophie Paddock of UEA’s Norwich Medical School
Why campaigners are encouraged
Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said a stroke was the fourth most common cause of death in the UK.
Bouverie said it was “encouraging that something as simple as taking the stairs could reduce the risk of early death and may also be linked to fewer cardiovascular health problems including strokes”.
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Do some foods leave
you feeling hungry rather than satiated? Experts say there are…
Foods that leave you hungrier
A bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice
More refined cereals are digested quickly, and fruit juice, whilst one of your five-a-day, contains less fibre than whole fruit. This might mean you find yourself hungry again within 1-2 hours of eating this breakfast.
Swap the orange juice for a whole orange, the cereal for oats and milk or serve it with Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. This would increase the fibre and protein content; two nutrients strongly linked with fullness.
Foods that leave you hungrier
These pastries are made primarily from refined flour and butter, and are relatively low in protein and fibre.
Toast and jam
Shop-bought packs can contain a lot of white rice, which is digested quickly, and the protein content is often modest.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Vegetable soup
On its own, it is often very low in protein and calories, so hunger can return quickly.
Unless it’s loaded with veggies, it’s probably pretty low in fibre.
Liquids are generally less filling as they require little chewing which may not trigger satiety signals.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Snack bars
They are ideal for a quick pick-me-up, but if reducing hunger is what you’re after, it’d be better to swap it out.
Low-fat yoghurt
A full-fat plain Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds tends to be much more filling due to the protein, fat and fibre.
On an empty stomach, it can actually increase your appetite.
What to eat instead
Instead of thinking about avoiding foods, think about what you can add to them.
- Add beans, lentils or shredded chicken to your vegetable soup and pasta.
- Thicken your smoothies with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds and oats.
- Apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with berries and hummus with oat biscuits are better snack options than a pre-made snack bar.
- Have alcohol alongside a balanced meal containing protein and fibre.
It was one of the London Fire Brigade’s busiest days since the Blitz in World War Two with 2,496 calls, 740 relating to wildfires as a ring of flames erupted around the capital’s outer edges.
Many Wennington residents left homeless in 2022 spent more than three and a half years in temporary accommodation as their houses were rebuilt and only moved back earlier this year.
But those who have returned fear ongoing wildfires in Rainham – just a mile away – could also hit Wennington, with concerns that grass on land surrounding their houses has been left to grow too high.
Temperatures are tipped to hit 38°C on Thursday, and an amber heat warning has been issued.
The 1,017 wildfires in England and Wales so far this year are already more than in all of 2025. Andy Burnham chaired an emergency Cobra meeting this week about the extreme heat, as he considers a ban on disposable barbecues.
‘We’re at risk of disaster repeating itself’
Nine of the 10 homes on Marine Cottages on Wennington Road were destroyed in 2022, including the property of Ade Aofolaju, 54, and his partner Paula James, 62, who moved back to their rebuilt home in March.
Mr Aofolaju told The i Paper: “We’re very anxious about the constant field fires in the Rainham area.
“There are quite a few large fields near us on Wennington Road which have not been cut for years so the grass has grown really tall and with the hot weather and no rain, the fields are tinder dry.
“If a fire starts in any of the nearby fields, we would be at risk of the same disaster of 2022 repeating itself.”
Ms James said smoke from grass fires in nearby parts of Havering, which suffers more wildfires than any London borough, reminds them of the 2022 inferno.
‘You can taste the smoke in the morning’
“You wake up in the morning and you can taste it. The blinds are coated,” she said.
“When you can see smoke in the distance, it takes you back to when I was coming home from work, driving down the road [in 2022] and you could see the smoke.”
Four years ago, she evacuated her home, grabbing a set of clothes before heading to her mother’s house, where she watched on TV as their home burned down.
Photos of her mother, who died last year, as well as her ring and photos of her partner’s parents, who passed away before the fire, were among precious belongings that went up in flames.
She raised concerns about a lack of firebreaks being cut in the land next to their homes, with grass in a field opposite several feet high and bone dry.
Her next-door neighbour Lynn Sabberton, 76, recalled how a policeman kicked in her door and told her and her partner, Terry Spencer, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to flee their house in 2022.
“When the fire came across this way it hit a lot of those bushes and shrubs and trees and then it came here,” she said.
“It was like, literally a bomb dropped on the place.”
She said she was concerned about thick grassland continuing to grow on farmland opposite her home, which she says has not been cut.
Charlotte Hammond, 37, whose house survived the 2022 blaze but whose garden was destroyed, had to escape with her three-year-old son as thick smoke and flames approached their home.
“I was hysterical,” she recalled, but other blazes nearby are now a constant cause of anxiety.
Recurring underground fires at an illegal landfill site in Launders Lane about a mile and a half away have been dubbed the Rainham Volcano, while firefighters have battled wildfires that destroyed acres of land at a country park, Ingrebourne Hill, about two miles away.
“Sometimes I do wake up and you get the smell of smoke. Every time you see a bit of smoke, you just think, where’s it coming from? Is it happening again?” Ms Hammond said.
She said “nothing has been done” about the grass on farmland opposite their home, where ruins are all that remains of a farmhouse that burned down in 2022.
Other land to the back of their homes was cut back a few weeks ago, she said.
Just along Wennington Road, Anita Holtom’s home backs onto land where the grass has grown about five feet tall.
The 77-year-old said nearby fires meant they had to “keep the window shut because the smell is so bad here”.
Residents say they have raised concerns about the risk of wildfires with local councillors and MP Margaret Mullane. They want privately-owned land to be made safer.
Mullane, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said the residents were “quite right to complain”.
She added: “As we go into climate change and the kind of summers we’re having, it seems to be here to stay. So we’re going to have to get a proper structure. We can’t go on like this.”`