Closing water valve

London is close to running out of water, singer turned campaigner Feargal Sharkey has said. Mr Sharkey, 63, of the 70s punk band The Undertones, said that water supplies in London and the south-east are coming under pressure from a growing population and over-abstraction from chalk aquifers. A report by the London Resilience Forum in 2017 said that drought is a real and present threat to the capital and Sharkey is raising the alarm. Sharkey said: 'That's the thing that's going to tip the scales. That's the proper big one. Mr Sharkey, 63, of the 70s punk band The Undertones, said that water supplies in London and the south-east are coming under pressure 'Because when people start turning their taps on and there's no water coming out of it, now you've really let the cat out of the bag. 'There's no more kicking the can down the road. And it's nothing to do with the environment, 25 million people in London and the south east are now getting perilously close to running … [Read more...] about London is close to running out of drinking water, the Undertones singer-turned-pollution campaigner Feargal Sharkey has warned

Protester Richard Dite leads the 30mph protest on the M4 Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The M4 was shut in both directions due to a protest on the busy Severn Bridge in Chepstow. Earlier, the Prince of Wales Bridge was also closed in both directions. Motorists had been warned by police to expect severe disruption as planned protests against soaring petrol and diesel prices take place. The fuel price protest got underway just after 7am with heavy traffic forming within an hour. Related articles Little-known button at petrol pump that gets the exact amount of fuel Ryanair staff announce new strike dates - list Avon … [Read more...] about M4 chaos as fuel protests close motorway in both directions infuriating drivers

Fairlop Waters is closed as the search for the teenager continues (Image: MyLondon ) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The teenage boy is "unaccounted for" after entering the lake at Fairlop Waters in Essex at around 12.30am this morning (Monday, July 4). It is understood that the boy's next of kin have been informed while a search is carried out in the water. Related articles Holiday tragedy: UK tourist found dead at bottom of cliff after lea... Police officer faces hearing for 'leg-sweeping' handcuffed woman Officers from the Metropolitan Police attended along with the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade, while a police … [Read more...] about Desperate police diver search launched for boy last seen entering lake

Queen will have 'new bubble' around her at Balmoral says expert Sign up for FREE royal alerts SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi became the Duchess’ son-in-law after marrying her daughter Princess Beatrice in a low-key wedding last month. Jack Brooksbank is Fergie’s other son-in-law as the husband of her other daughter, Princess Eugenie. Trending Together with Mr Brooksbank and Mr Mapelli Mozzi, the Duchess started up a new company earlier this year. The company is called Rumpel Water Ltd. Little information about what the firm does is publicly available, but a spokesman for the Duchess said it involved “water-cleansing”. It is understood the company’s main activities could be based … [Read more...] about Sarah Ferguson snub: Son in laws Edo and Jack QUIT Duchess’ new company

T he American owners of Boots may revive plans for stock market float next year after scrapping the sale of Britain’s biggest chemist to a Wall Street buyout fund and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Walgreens, which merged with Boots in 2014 in a deal worth £9bn, said none of the offers for the “adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots and No7 Beauty Company”. The Illinois-headquartered company said bidders had struggled to arrange bank loans to buy Boots after financial markets “suffered unexpected and dramatic change”. Private equity fund Apollo and Mr Ambani had been in pole position to acquire Boots after Walgreens chairman Stefano Pessina put the business up for sale in January. But a £5bn approach — considerably lower than the £7bn Mr Pessina is said to have wanted — fell through. Ornella Barra, Boots operating chief, wrote to the company’s 56,000 staff saying she was “happy to confirm that it has been decided that Boots and No7 Beauty Company will … [Read more...] about Boots stock market float back on the table as £5bn sale collapses

People have been pushing back the boundary of the sea for centuries. Whether by building dikes in the Netherlands or creating artificial islands with soil and debris in places such as Hong Kong and Dubai, it once seemed as if nothing could stand in the way of our expanding landmass. But, with rising sea levels and disastrous flooding becoming ever more common, some communities are beginning to consider the opposite approach to counter the effects of climate change: managed retreat. Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, lies only a couple meters above sea level, making it particularly vulnerable to rising seas This could include moving from big cities. In Sydney, Australia, the latest extreme torrential rain has caused dams to overflow and rivers to break their banks, forcing more than 30,000 residents to evacuate. Areas north and south of the city were deluged with 1.5 meters (59 inches) of rain in 24 hours, which is close to the average rainfall for a year in coastal areas of … [Read more...] about As floods intensify, governments consider managed retreat

Published 3 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Raw sewage has flooded a beachfront estate for the sixth time since October, infuriating residents. One man who lived on the West Beach estate in Lancing, West Sussex, said "pungent" waste water was "climbing the pavements" and entering gardens. "This is like a third world country. We have sewage running through the streets," Nigel Sweet told the BBC. Southern Water apologised, and said it was just days away from "future-proofing" the pipe. Last year, the area saw four leaks in just eight weeks , with the water company conceding there were "ongoing issues". Mr Sweet said: "Here we are six months on, the repairs are still not completed and there is yet another leak." As a tanker arrived to deal with the flood, Mr Sweet said: "After each burst, this has carried on 24 hours a day until they could plug the … [Read more...] about Lancing sewage leak: Coastal estate hit for sixth time

Published 13 December 2013 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A team of British rowers taking part in a trans-Atlantic challenge had to be airlifted to safety when their vessel started taking on water during a storm. The Team Atlantic Splash crew from Kent, Sussex and Essex were five days into the race when they were rescued. They hope to recover their boat and re-join the 3,000-mile race in a few days. Skipper Neal Marsh, 44, of Worthing, said: "My priority is the safety of the team and I'd like to thank everyone involved in our rescue." The vessel, Mission Atlantic, started taking on water after a pump seal failed during a heavy storm about 130 miles south west of Tenerife. Mr Marsh said: "We'd gone from 12th place to fourth overnight and then the storm hit us. "We were all hit with the same problem, but unfortunately for us we had this problem with the … [Read more...] about Atlantic crossing rowing crew airlifted to safety

A TEEN who lost part of her leg after being attacked by a nine-foot shark in Florida has spoken of her bloody ordeal for the first time. Addison Bethea, 17, was scalloping in water about five feet deep near Grassy Island, just off Keaton Beach, when she was attacked by the beast in Taylor County on Thursday. She was rushed to hospital with serious injuries as doctors desperately attempted to save her severely torn lib. On Friday, she described the heroic efforts of her half-brother Rhett Willingham, 22, who jumped in the water and beat the huge shark off until his sibling was free. "Rhett was just like tapping me and the something latches onto my leg. And I was like, 'That’s not Rhett'. I look and there’s this big old shark," Addison told WTXL . “I remembered from watching animal planet you’re supposed to punch them in the nose or something - but I couldn’t get around to his nose the way he bit me,” she added. Read more on sharks 'NO TIME TO … [Read more...] about Girl, 17, has leg ripped off in horror shark attack before hero brother saves her by jumping in to fight off 9ft beast

Tui cancels quarter of flights from Manchester Airport FTSE 100 adds 0.1pc S&P 500 little changed, Nasdaq up 0.5pc Matthew Lynn: Businesses must go on strike over Sunak’s disgraceful tax raid Sign up here for our daily business briefing newsletter ​ M ortgage lending fell by more than a third in April, stoking fears of a slowdown in house prices. Total lending for house purchases slumped to £4.1bn, from £6.4bn in March, as the impact of higher interest rates kicked in. Data from the Bank of England showed mortgage approvals fell to around 66,000 over the month, compared with 70,700 in March. The number of loans granted was well beneath economists’ expectations, and below the average for the half-decade before the pandemic. 6:07PM Wrapping up T hat's all from us today, thank you for following! Before you go, have a look at the latest stories from our business reporters: Bank of England to take over collapsed … [Read more...] about Housing market slump feared as mortgage lending plunges by a third