A section of the M25 was closed today amid fears of an ‘explosion’ from an industrial estate fire that was raging next to the motorway.

The motorway was shut between Junction 22 and Junction 21a near St Albans for nearly an hour, with thick clouds of smoke wafting across the road. 

One person injured in the blaze has been taken to Watford General Hospital, while two others were treated at the scene. 

Firefighters requested that National Highways shut the section of the M25 at around 11.20am due to a ‘risk of a secondary explosion’ as they battled a warehouse fire in nearby Ventura Park. 

The section of the motorway was reopened at 12.15pm. 

Three ambulances, three ambulance office vehicles, the Hazardous Area Response Team, and two air ambulances also rushed to the area.   

Locals were urged to keep their doors and windows closed and were told to avoid the area.

Motorists had been warned to expect delays of more than an hour with miles of congestion and a diversion route in place.  

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Barber said firefighters were ‘working hard to bring the situation under control’.

He said: ‘Fire Control has received a significant number of calls regarding this incident, and I would like to reassure residents that firefighters are working hard to bring the situation under control.

‘As a precaution, we are asking people living nearby to keep their doors and windows closed and to avoid the area while emergency services continue to deal with the incident.

‘I would like to thank the public for their patience, understanding and cooperation. Please continue to follow our advice and avoid the area to allow emergency crews to work safely and effectively.’

Fifteen fire engines and an aerial ladder platform battled the blaze after a 999 call was made at around 9.21am. 

The industrial estate in Colney Street houses 15 units, including OMA V Film Studios – which has produced shows such as Slow Horses and The Essex Serpent. 

Health and beauty firm Malibu Sun’s warehouse is also at the site. A message has appeared on its website today saying it is not taking any orders due to a ‘technical issue with our website’.  

It is not known which units are impacted by the fire.  

It comes amid a wildfire tearing through the historic New Forest, which is continuing to rage today after a van burst into flames, and more than two-thirds of England being gripped by drought conditions. 

A section of the M25 has been closed amid fears of an ‘explosion’ from an industrial estate fire that is raging next to the motorway

Advertisement

The motorway was shut between Junction 22 and Junction 21a near St Albans with thick clouds of smoke wafting across the road

Padel and wellness club Encourt, which is situated in one of the units, announced it would be closing for the rest of today because of the blaze at a ‘neighbouring premises’. 

In a post on its Instagram page, it said ‘the situation is now being brought under control by the emergency services’.

‘The safety of our members, guests and staff is our priority, and we will reopen once we have confirmation that it is safe to do so,’ a spokesperson said. 

They added that all of today’s bookings would be fully refunded. 

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.25am to a fire at a large industrial unit in Ventura Park, Old Parkbury Lane, Colney Street, St Albans.

‘Three ambulances, three ambulance officer vehicles, the Hazardous Area Response Team and two air ambulances were sent to the scene.

‘One patient was transported by road to Watford General Hospital for further treatment. A further two patients were assessed and discharged on scene.’

The blaze at the New Forest has spread to surrounding vegetation and engulfed 250 acres.

Firefighters are managing to contain the fire, but a change in wind direction is making efforts more challenging, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said.

Another UK wildfire raged as Britain’s sixth heatwave of the year will build from today to a 36C peak this Thursday – with no rain in the forecast and almost three-quarters of England now in drought.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amber heat health alerts will be active for most of England from this morning until Friday evening, warning of a ‘rise in deaths’.

Motorists were forced to abandon their cars and walk miles down a main road in searing heat to escape the major wildfire near the New Forest on Sunday.

Around two dozen vehicles were left on the A31 near Ringwood, Hampshire.

Around 250 acres of heathland, about the size of 140 football pitches, is alight or has been burned or damaged as 1,300-litres per minute of water is taken along a five-mile pipeline from Hightown Lake to fight the flames in the Bratley Wood area.

More than 120 firefighters have been tackling it over the past 72 hours.

The public has been told to avoid the area completely, while the A31 has also been badly damaged and will need repairs before it can reopen, according to National Highways.

It comes amid a van catching fire in the New Forest which spread to the tinder-dry foliage by the A31 at Ringwood

Scorched and smoking heathland sparked by the burning van, dry conditions and strong winds

Drivers were ordered to abandon their vehicles and walk down the side of the road as the fire raged on the fire on the A31 in Hampshire 

Advertisement

The giant New Forest fire in protected heathland is still burning on Tuesday, with smoke visible 30 miles away in Portsmouth.

Police urged drivers to leave their cars if they wanted to ‘stay alive’ as the road was cleared to avoid the vehicles becoming ‘bombs’. Some 23 cars were abandoned, with mothers wheeling children in prams among those forced to evacuate. 

At one point 26 fire engines were battling to bring the flames under control, with crews unbolting the central reservation to get vehicles off the road.

The emergency services had received more than 160 calls relating to the fire just before 5.30pm on Sunday.

The fire has affected 247 acres – one square kilometre – of heathland, which is being monitored with the help of police drones.

The fire service said in a statement: ‘Crews have worked tirelessly throughout the night, a change in wind direction provided a challenge to the firefighting operations but thanks to the efforts of firefighters we are managing to contain the fire.

‘We have been using a mix of fire engines and off-road vehicles to damp down and cool the edges of the area involved in the fire to prevent spread and escalation.

‘The police drone is being used to enable us to prioritise hotspot areas and manage flare-ups.

‘Overnight we had a slightly reduced presence with seven fire engines on site plus water carriers, off road vehicles and support vehicles but are planning to increase this for a larger scale attack today.

‘We are maintaining water supply to the site through combination of water carriers and the High Volume Pump (HVP) system.

‘We recognise that the hoses that have been laid as part of this system do in places go across access to homes in the area and we thank residents for their support and patience.

‘The HVP allows us to move large amounts of water over a longer distance, helping crews maintain a continuous supply while they work to bring the fire under control.’

It comes during a record-breaking dry spell in England, with 27million people subject to a hosepipe ban and a sixth heatwave of the year set to arrive later this week.

Further areas are set to be placed into an official drought last night – which is declared when an area has gone more than 50 days without rain.

The area hit by the blaze is protected heathland which is home to a number of rare species including reptiles, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.

The Ballad of Mulan will be performed at York Theatre Royal’s Studio on September 12 at 7.45pm and September 13 at 2pm and 7.45pm.

The play explores the real story behind the legend of Hua Mulan, who disguised herself as a man to join the Chinese army.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Commissioned by and starring Yorkshire born British-Chinese actress Michelle Yim, the production has been supported by Arts Council England.

A spokesman for York Theatre Royal said: “Woman, warrior, legend. For ten years Mulan disguised as a man, has fought for the Chinese Empire.

“Now the fighting is coming to an end, one last battle and she will be going home – but can she return to her old life, become a woman again. A search for identity in a violent world.”

Hua Mulan (Image: Ross Ericson)

The play is produced by Grist to the Mill in collaboration with British East Asian theatre company Red Dragonfly Productions – the team behind the sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show The Unknown Soldier.

Tickets are available via the York Theatre Royal box office or online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

“The UK’s food and drink manufacturers work hard to absorb costs where they can, but are already grappling with rising costs as a result of war in Ukraine and in Iran, so we expect the additional upward pressure of reduced crops will be reflected in retail prices into next year.”

The summer break offers teachers something in short supply during term time: downtime.

Our research explores the factors important for teachers’ wellbeing.
For many, summer is an essential opportunity to recover from the exhaustion accumulated across the year. There is time to sleep properly, reconnect with family and step away from the constant decision-making that school life demands.

However, mentioning summer holidays to non-teachers can provoke strong reactions. We recently carried out research analysing social media commentary on reports of teacher stress. The dominant online discourse was that teachers “have it so easy” and are a pampered bunch. “Burnout from what exactly? A few tough days with 30 kids and a whiteboard?” But this bears little resemblance to the lived reality of teaching.

Teaching is hugely emotionally demanding. Many teachers across Ireland and the UK report high rates of stress, burnout and intentions to leave the profession.

Teachers do more than teach. They plan learning and assessment, manage classrooms that are growing more complex in terms of needs and student support, care for pupils’ emotional needs, communicate with families and respond to administrative requirements and ongoing policy changes. They are expected to do all this while remaining calm, empathetic and enthusiastic, even under pressure.

What protects teachers’ wellbeing?

The summer break gives school leaders and policymakers a chance to consider what teachers will be returning to. Rest matters, but it cannot indefinitely compensate for working conditions that repeatedly deplete staff. If we wish to retain the brilliant and committed teachers we have in the profession, and attract new teachers to join, then the question of occupational wellbeing can no longer be ignored.

In a 2025 study, we asked more than 900 primary and secondary teachers in the Republic of Ireland what protected their wellbeing at work.

Teachers described personal efforts to protect their health through exercise, sleep, eating properly, meditation, prayer, gratitude journaling and quiet reflection. Many also tried to establish boundaries between work and home. They made efforts to avoid weekend emails, switch off school-app notifications and limit administrative work to a set time. They tried to mentally “switch off” after leaving school.

These practices can regulate stress and replenish depleted resources, but they cannot remove the organisational conditions creating that stress. For example, most said overwhelming workloads made it difficult to avoid working late and weekends. Others described having to “wolf down” lunch because of competing and cascading tasks. Some said the setting of boundaries was not respected or upheld by school management. Similar findings have emerged in recent studies of teacher wellbeing in Scotland.

Positive workplace relationships

Relationships were among the strongest protective factors for teacher wellbeing. Teachers valued trusted colleagues who listened, shared resources and helped solve problems. Collaboration helped to distribute planning and other responsibilities. In supportive schools, the staffroom offered solidarity and a space to decompress.

Leadership was equally important. Teachers felt they could flourish when managers were accessible, listened seriously, treated staff fairly and recognised their work.

However, as with positive emotions, relationships were not always protective. Some teachers work in conditions of conflict and bullying. Teachers in our study also mentioned avoiding shared spaces that were dominated by “nay-sayers”.

Relationships with pupils were central to teachers’ sense of meaning. Participants described the satisfaction of seeing a pupil understand something, gain confidence or succeed with an idea. These moments reconnect teachers with why they entered the profession.

But meaningful work can also create vulnerability to overextension. Teachers may take on unsustainable responsibilities because they do not want pupils to lose out. A sense of vocation therefore can strengthen resilience, but make boundaries harder to maintain. Schools should be cautious about relying on goodwill and vocational commitment as substitutes for adequate staffing and manageable workloads.

Teachers experienced engagement and accomplishment when they were prepared, able to collaborate and given control over their work. Yet this depended on context. It was harder to feel effective when technology failed, quiet spaces were unavailable or buildings were of poor quality. Accomplishment depended on whether systems enabled teachers to do their jobs properly.

One striking finding was the limited reference to formal wellbeing provision. Teachers relied mainly on colleagues, family, friends and their own recovery practices. Several were sceptical of what they considered “tokenistic” initiatives, such one off wellbeing workshops or gratitude practice cards.

All of this is important because work-related stress should not simply be recognised as a private or individual difficulty, but as an organisational risk.

This shifts attention to the systems that generate stress, rather than asking workers to adapt indefinitely. Mindfulness, counselling and other initiatives may help, but they cannot replace action on preventable organisational harm.

Across Europe, the political debate has rarely looked more polarised. Media narratives frequently describe societies as becoming sharply divided between younger progressive and older conservative generations.

A growing body of research also suggests that political attitudes are becoming more divided by gender, particularly among younger cohorts. Young women seem to be adopting more liberal positions than young men on issues such as climate change and immigration.

Using data from the European Social Survey, which I have led since 2013, my team has examined the truth of these claims. We’ve done this by looking at long-term trends across eastern, western and northern Europe between 2002 and 2023 in relation to political orientation, climate change fears and attitudes towards immigration.

Political orientation over time by age and gender

Across all country groups, younger respondents consistently place themselves further to the left on the political orientation scale than older respondents.

Yet while older respondents’ political views have been relatively stable in northern and western Europe, in eastern Europe we’ve seen more fluctuation and a clearer shift towards the right in recent survey rounds.

Younger respondents in eastern Europe are shifting in the opposite direction. This suggests an emerging generational divide in political orientation within the region.

Gender patterns in political orientation also vary considerably across age groups in Europe as a whole. Among older respondents, men and women generally mirror one another in their ideological positioning over time. Among younger cohorts, however, gender gaps are substantially wider.

The divide is most pronounced in northern Europe. Young women there consistently position themselves further to the left than young men. By contrast, young men and women in eastern Europe appear to be becoming somewhat more ideologically aligned over time – though young women there are still more leftward aligned.

The political views of young women, particularly in western Europe, also fluctuate more across survey rounds. These shifts have coincided with major political and economic events, including a modest movement towards the right around the period of the global financial crisis in 2008 and a shift leftwards during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Worry about climate change over time by age and gender

Across all regions, survey rounds and age groups, women have consistently expressed greater worry about climate change than men. The size of this gap differs between regions and by age.

Between the generations, we see moderate differences in climate concern. But our findings do not consistently follow the common expectation that younger people are more worried than older generations. In eastern and western Europe, older respondents have often reported levels of worry equal to, or marginally exceeding, younger groups.

Overall, however, worry about climate change appears either stable or gradually declining across most demographic groups. But while gender gaps among older cohorts remain relatively small, they are substantially wider among younger respondents – particularly in northern Europe.

Young women in this region are the only group for whom worry about climate change shows a modest upward trend over time. This reflects a growing divide between young men and young women in this region. Climate concern among young men has declined while concern among young women has remained stable or increased slightly.

Levels of worry in eastern and western Europe display greater similarity across age and gender groups, with men and women showing declining levels of climate concern in recent years.

Taken together, these findings suggest that worry about climate change is not strongly divided along generational lines. Instead, it is structured through gender differences within younger cohorts, particularly in northern Europe.

Immigration tolerance over time by age and gender

Advertisement

Attitudes towards immigration differ more by region than by gender and generation alone. In eastern Europe, attitudes towards migrants have shifted more substantially than other regions over time.

Tolerance of immigration in eastern Europe dropped around the period of the 2015-16 migrant crisis. A notable but relatively short-lived increase in tolerance is then visible around 2020.

This fluctuating pattern may reflect changing political and social contexts, including the COVID pandemic and subsequent displacement of Ukrainians following the start of the war there in 2022. It may also reflect what we call mode effects, which refers to differing opinions as a result of there being an interviewer or not.

Attitudes towards immigration in northern and western Europe have remained comparatively stable and, perhaps surprisingly given the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the media and politicians in some of these regions, are generally becoming more positive over time.

Gender differences over immigration are relatively small among older respondents across all regions, with older men and women tending to follow very similar trends. However, gender differences remain evident among younger cohorts.

Young women in northern Europe consistently express substantially higher levels of tolerance towards migrants than their male counterparts, reinforcing the broader pattern of a growing gender divide in views among younger people there.

Overall, our findings show that Europe’s political polarisation is indeed generational. But rather than being shaped by generation alone, political attitudes in Europe seem to be increasingly shaped by an interacting combination of generation, gender and regional differences.

Manchester United’s squad are in Dublin, Ireland ahead of their penultimate pre-season fixture against Leeds at Croke Park

Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire has praised academy defender Dan Armer for his performances during this summer’s pre-season. Due to the World Cup, United have relied upon a number of teenagers from the academy to fill gaps in the first-team squad – some of whom arrived as unknowns to supporters.

As pre-season has progressed, a number of academy players have dropped out of the travelling squads. The likes of Chido Obi, Jacob Devaney, Toby Collyer and Dan Gore have not featured since the win over Rosenborg while JJ Gabriel did not travel to Gothenburg to face Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. However, one constant has been Armer.

He was an unused substitute against the Champions League holders but did have a brief cameo against Atletico Madrid, the week before. Speaking to United’s website, Maguire praised the teenager who has yet to make a senior, competitive appearance for the club. “I think Dan’s been brilliant,” the experienced centre-back said.

“18 years old, playing in tough games and playing for this club for the first time. He’s been magnificent at centre-back and, hopefully, he can continue to progress, keep enjoying working with us. There have been so many good performances from the younger boys.”

“The one thing in pre-season is that, if you’re a young lad, you get given opportunities,” Maguire added. “And I must say, the young boys came back really, really fit, all looking really sharp, every one of them.

“The running tests on the first day, they all blew everyone away. They were really in great condition, all of them, so great credit to them.”

Next up for United is a clash with Leeds at Croke Park. “We’ve got a great game on Wednesday against Leeds, which we always know is a big game, whether it’s a friendly or not,” he concluded. “So that’s one we’re looking forward to.

“Our Irish fans, they’re unbelievable, so it’s great to see them. We know that they’re going to be in full support in the stadium against Leeds.”

After Leeds, the Reds will play one final pre-season fixture against AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland on Saturday. United then begin their Premier League campaign away at Hull City the following week on August 22.

By TOM LAWRENCE, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 07:42 BST, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 11:57 BST, 11 August 2026

A murder investigation has been launched after a 25-year-old man was shot dead in a suspected gang attack outside a London pub last night.

Emergency services raced to The Landor pub in Clapham at around 10pm, where a man was found outside suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite paramedics arriving within three minutes, he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Another man, 22, self-referred to hospital with a gunshot wound shortly after the attack. 

Advertisement

He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in hospital.

The victim’s family is being supported by specialist officers. 

Witnesses describe hearing three gunshots outside the pub while terrified residents said they heard loud ‘bangs’.

One resident told London Now: ‘It was shortly after 10pm and I heard lots of sirens, and I heard bangs – I think it was five or something.

Advertisement

‘And then I said “do you think they were gunshots?”‘

Another resident said she now wants to move out of London, fearing for the safety of  her two-year-old grandson growing up in the city.

She said the sirens eventually quietened down but was ‘horrified’ by what she had heard. 

Willington Road has been closed and cordoned off while forensics teams investigate this morning. 

Advertisement

Police and paramedics outside the Landor pub in Clapham on Monday night

An area outside the Landor pub in Clapham has been cordoned off while forensics teams investigate

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, Central South Borough Commander, said: ‘We understand that incident will cause concern within the local community and an increased police presence will remain in the area throughout the day as our enquiries continue. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family for their tragic loss.

Advertisement

‘Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of murder, and we are working tirelessly to establish what happened.

‘We are asking anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the shooting to please contact us as soon as possible and support the ongoing investigation.’

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.59pm on Monday 10 August to reports of a shooting on Landor Road.

‘We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and paramedics in fast response cars. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.

Advertisement

‘Our first paramedics arrived in three minutes.

‘Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.’

Clapham, an affluent south-west London suburb which is home to wealthy residents and young professionals, has been rocked by violence in recent years. 

Last month, one man was killed and four more were injured in a stabbing in Clapham.

Advertisement

Police were called to the nearby Tremadoc Road in the early hours of July 25. Six men were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Last year, a 27-year-old man was shot dead on New Park Road in Clapham.

Kyrone Moodie was one of two men shot in the attack on Monday, September 8, 2025.

A 20-year-old man was injured and taken to hospital.

Advertisement

The Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment. 

Police have launched a murder investigation after a 25-year-old man was killed in a shooting outside a pub in London.

Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of gunshots being fired on Willington Road in Clapham just before 10pm on Monday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.

Paramedics arrived within three minutes, but the man was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to London Ambulance Service.

A 22-year-old man later presented at hospital with a gunshot wound and has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. He remains in hospital.

Pictures show a visible police presence outside the pub on Tuesday morning, with a white forensics tent in place.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet clear.

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, central south borough commander said: “We understand that incident will cause concern within the local community and an increased police presence will remain in the area throughout the day as our enquiries continue. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family for their tragic loss.

“Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of murder, and we are working tirelessly to establish what happened.

“We are asking anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the shooting to please contact us as soon as possible and support the ongoing investigation.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 9:59pm on Monday 10 August to reports of a shooting on Landor Road, SW9.

“We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and paramedics in fast response cars. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.

“Our first paramedics arrived in three minutes. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.”

BANGKOK (AP) — A Taiwanese court on Tuesday sentenced a woman who advocated for spouses born in mainland China to seven years in prison, after finding her guilty of conspiring with Chinese government officials and proxies to influence Taiwanese politics.

The court in New Taipei city ruled that Hsu Chun-ying, who was herself born in China, violated the Anti-Infiltration Act for contact with Chinese officials and the Banking Act by transferring 24.5 million New Taiwan Dollars ($760,000) outside of proper banking channels from China.

The case has garnered intense media attention, partly because of Hsu’s identity as a so-called mainland spouse — those born in China who immigrated to Taiwan after marriage. The community has been viewed with suspicion amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan.

Taiwan and China split after a civil war in 1949. China claims the self-governing island as part of its territory, and has sent fighter jets and navy ships to the island on a daily basis as part of military exercises. Taiwan, in response, has focused on strengthening its defense and ramping up its arms purchases.

Taiwan’s government said Hsu’s case involved gaining intelligence for mainland China and influencing Taiwanese politics.

Prosecutors had publicized exchanges between Hsu and a director from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, which showed discussions about which political party to support in order to get lawmaker positions for mainland spouses in both the Taipei mayoral election and later the 2024 presidential election.

Hsu moved to Taiwan after getting married and has Taiwanese citizenship. She was briefly considered to be a Taiwan People’s Party legislator candidate, but had backed out owing to questions about her loyalty and affiliation with China.

“I had just wanted to serve New Residents,” she said in 2024, referring to the Taiwanese government’s term for immigrants to the island.

Hsu most recently served as the head of the Cross Straits Marriage and Family Services alliance. The organization was disbanded by Taiwan’s Interior Ministry in May for not holding elections for their directors in time.

Hsu could not be reached for comment.

Taiwanese authorities in March investigated three men for trying to smuggle Super Micro computer servers containing advanced Nvidia chips to China. Last year, a Taiwanese court sentenced four soldiers, including three members of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s security team, to seven years in prison for giving sensitive information to China.

Histon, just north of Cambridge, has been named the driest location in the UK this year, with residents saying the prolonged dry spell is causing dust-related breathing difficulties and leaving gardens scorched

Advertisement

Life in Britain’s driest village has been turned upside down by weeks of scorching temperatures and barely any rain, with residents describing the growing impact of the extreme conditions.

Histon, just north of Cambridge, has seen gardens turn brown, ponds shrink and sports grounds become increasingly difficult to maintain as the dry spell continues.

The village recorded 203.6mm of rainfall between January 1 and July 19, according to the Cambridgeshire weather station. That was less than the totals recorded in Shoeburyness, Essex, at 216.2mm, and Weybourne, Norfolk, at 219.2mm.

Cambridgeshire was among seven regions declared to be in drought by the Environment Agency last week, while a hosepipe ban has been in place across the Cambridge Water region since July 9.

And it is not just plants and playing fields feeling the effects.

Residents have described how the heat is affecting older people in particular, with some community activities having to be cancelled and others choosing to stay indoors.

Sally Smith, who manages the Older People’s Team for local charity HI Friends, told The i that the people they support include residents in their eighties and nineties, as well as some who are 100.

“We have people who are mostly in their eighties and nineties and a few who are 100, and they are very at risk from extreme heat. But the knock-on effect of us cancelling activities like lunch club is that their isolation increases and they really miss their activities and their friends.”

The charity runs activities including fitness classes, lunch clubs and shopping trips, but the unpredictable temperatures have made organising them more difficult.

Neil Davies, a parish councillor and charity manager for HI Friends, said: “It’s affected all aspects of the community,” adding that there had been “a real reluctance and a concern from our older residents not to go out of the comfort of their homes.”

The village’s recreation ground has also been forced to adapt to the conditions, with cracks appearing around the cricket wicket strip and tennis courts.

A staff representative from Histon and Impington Parish Council said: “The recreation ground has had to adapt for its sporting fixtures – we are only watering the areas that would cause a health and safety issue.”

There are now fears about whether the football pitch will be fit for the new season without substantial rainfall.

“We are concerned about the football season, unless we get some persistent rain soon, as the ground as it is would not be safe to play on.”

However, residents are also reporting a more personal consequence of the parched conditions.

Julie, a hairdresser in her fifties, told The i that the increase in dust has left people coughing more.

“All the mud has turned to dust and the lawns to straw. All of us are noticing that we’re coughing quite a lot. A lot of people who have got asthma are struggling more.”

The UK Health Security Agency has warned that drought can increase the amount of dust in the environment, which can potentially affect people with existing respiratory conditions. It advises people who use inhalers to carry them during hot and dry periods.

Julie has also been forced to rethink how she looks after her own garden.

“It’s been quite difficult having a large garden and trying to keep it alive.

“Obviously all the lawns are just straw and I’d never water them, but the pots and expensive plants have got to be kept alive, which we’re having to do with water butts.”

She has even been organising “watering parties”, with friends visiting to drink wine and help water her plants.

The extreme heat has also had a knock-on effect on her work. When temperatures reached 35C, seven clients cancelled their hair appointments in a single day.

Elsewhere in Histon, Julie Dunn, 62, said the dry conditions had dramatically changed the appearance of the village.

She said its duck pond was at the “lowest level” she had ever seen.

“It’s a very beautiful area, and it’s very pretty, but it doesn’t look at it’s best – it’s just brown and burnt,” she said.

Julie has been saving water from around her home so she can use it in the garden.

“The dry weather means I’m having to water and be very careful – we have a bucket in the shower, and we save all our grey water, and we use that for the garden. We always put a bucket in when we have a shower to get the excess – washing up water, we always put in the water butt to try and avoid filling our watering cans from the hose.”

The lack of rain is also producing unusual scenes elsewhere in the country.

Footage captured in Greenwich Park showed a dust devil swirling across the grass, picking up dust and hay as it travelled through the park.

Jimmy O’Keeffe, who filmed the phenomenon, said he was “shocked and in total disbelief” when it disturbed his picnic.

He said it lasted several minutes, with some people moving away as it passed and others heard screaming.

Another dust devil was spotted near Leeds Castle in Kent.

The small whirlwinds can form on hot, sunny days when rising air begins rotating and picks up loose material from the ground.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has warned that prolonged dry weather is putting pressure on water resources across England, with Cambridgeshire among the areas affected by drought.