Although the exact number of unregistered homes is unknown, Ofsted estimates there are around 900 illegal children’s homes operating in England.

In 2024 a report by the Children’s Commissioner for England found that, at any one time, hundreds of vulnerable children were placed in unregistered homes for an average of six months each.

Councils say that they are often forced to turn to unregistered children’s homes because there are not enough registered homes in the right locations or homes that are willing to take children with very complex needs.

Ofsted said increased funding will help them identify and investigate unregistered providers and that new powers granted through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act will allow them to issue fines.

During the sentencing on Tuesday, Judge Sushil Kumar said it was of “great concern” that the defendants failed to register the homes despite receiving multiple warning letters.

Daisy Wrigley, for Ofsted, told the court the number of unregistered children’s homes in the UK was not known, which “highlights the importance of registering”.

Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said the prosecution “marks an important milestone in our efforts to tackle illegal children’s homes and sends a clear message that operating outside the law will have consequences”.

He added: “We are currently consulting on proposals to downgrade local authorities who commission these illegal homes.”

Josh MacAlister, children and families minister who led a review into children’s social care, called it a “welcome start to our wider crackdown”.

“Vulnerable children deserve to be safe and properly cared for, and I want to see more action of this kind,” he said.

Reacting to the prosecution, Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said: “It is incomprehensible that this is happening in 2026 and prosecutions can’t come too soon.

“I hope it represents the beginning of the end for the scandal of illegal providers who put profit above the safety of vulnerable children.”

Additional reporting by Jemma Crew.

Half the Iberia squad arrived in the early hours of Tuesday, with the rest following on a later plane

Larne will have to do it the hard way if they are to book their place in League Phase football this year after failing to find the net against FC Iberia 1999 at Inver Park.

They Invermen had the momentum – and chances – either side of half-time but could only eek out a 0-0 draw ahead of the second leg in Tbilisi next week.

The visitors stood tall throughout the 90 minutes depite their travel woes ahead of making the six-hour plane journey to Northern Ireland, with half the squad arriving in the early hours of the morning matchday with the rest following on a later plane.

It was far from ideal preparation for the game for the side who are two points clear at the top of the Erovnuli Liga, but they held on for a scoreless draw to bring home for the decisive encounter.

The first sign of danger came on 12 minutes when a long ranging pass down their left flank split Larne open, but home captain Tomas Cosgrove nipped in to avert the danger just before Zavid Natchkhebia could pull the trigger inside the box

However, it was Larne who had the first effort on target as Cosgrove got to the byline at the other end to cross into the box, but Sean Graham just couldn’t get enough power on his effort to divert it past goalkeeper Giorgi Makaridze.

The ball was in the net for first time on 16 minutes, when defender Vahid Selimovic headed home Giorgi Kutsia’s right wing free-kick, but the flag for offside cut short their celebrations.

As the half wore on Larne began to settle more into their rhythm, allowing them to play further up the pitch.

They came close to breaking the deadlock with nine minutes to go before the break when Dylan Sloan led a counter attack down the right flank and his cross into the box was chested down by Matty Lusty into the path of Sean Graham, but goalkeeper Makaridze stood firm to palm the effort away.

They came even closer to scoring on 42 minutes but were thwarted by the visiting stopper once again.

This time the play came down the opposite flank as Sean Graham picked out his fellow wingback with a raking cross to the back post, but Tomas Cosgrove’s effort was too close to Makaridze to find a way past the 36-year-old goalkeeper.

The second began with Larne on the front foot as they look to press their opponents and they had another opening eight minutes into the second half.

Pressure from a group of players in the left-hand corner saw the ball only partially cleared to Ronan Dohety, but the former Cliftonville and Coleraine midfielder dragged his low effort from 20 yards wide of the mark.

Just before the hour mark Matty Lusty then went down under pressure from defender Vahid Selivmovic after he had got between the defender and the goal, but the Finnish referee was unmoved and the VAR agreed.

At this point it looked like the visitors were on the ropes, but just as it seemed a breakthrough was on the cards they lost their way for a spell.

After both sides had made changes from the bench the Georgians enjoyed more spells of possession as they took the sting out of a game they had looked like they were struggling to stay in.

It helped them to take the sting out of the game and Larne, playing just their fifth competitive game of the season were flagging, in their attempts to produce a big finish.

They spent the closing stages putting plenty of balls into the box but they were, by and large, well dealt by goalkeeper Makaridze and towering defender Selimovic.

Larne: Ferguson, Ridley, Donnelly, Gallagher, Graham, Doherty (’75 Simpson), Cosgrove, Sloan (’65 McEneff), Bent, Lusty (’75 O’Hara), Gibson (’65 O’Neill)

Subs: Carney, Wallace, McKendry, Magee, Ukek

FC Iberia 1999: Makaridze, Selimovic, Jinjolva, Dadiani, Kardava, Natchkhebia, Bartishvili (’59 Dzagania), Sikharulashvili, Amisulashvili, Kutsia (’77 Alhassan), Kobuladze

Subs: Megrelishvili,, Ende, Kuliiev, Chikhradze, Botchorishvili, Cahnturia

Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara (Finland)

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Passengers have been warned of major disruption to bus journeys over the coming months as drivers are set to walk out over a heatwave row.

Bus services in North London and Essex could be thrown into chaos when over 1,500 Arriva drivers go on strike across several days in August, September and October.

Unite the union announced the drivers’ strike today after a row over working conditions in hot weather which has gripped the capital throughout the summer.

The union, which represents thousands of bus drivers, accused Arriva North London, a TfL contractor, of failing to act on complaints about conditions.

Some drivers suffered heat stroke and dehydration while working during the recent heatwaves, which saw temperatures hover close to 40C.

Arriva insists it is investing in both short and long-term measures to help drivers, including cab upgrades and air conditioning.

When will the strike take place?

The strikes are planned across the following dates:

• August 14 -15, August 18 – 21, August 25 – 28

• September 4 – 5, September 7 – 8, September 18 – 19, and September 21 – 22
• October 2 – 3, October 5 – 6, October 16 – 17, October 19 – 20

Some of the walkouts will happen at the same time as planned closures on the Piccadilly line this month and in September.

While the affected bus routes have not been named yet, the bus garages involved in the action include Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green.

Why are bus drivers striking?

The dispute boils down to the conditions inside buses, many of which have reached unbearable temperatures for passengers and drivers during the recent extreme heatwaves.

Hot weather conditions can increase fatigue for drivers, some of whom have experienced heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration this summer, Unite said.

Most London buses are fitted with air cooling rather than more effective air conditioning systems.

Unite said the cooling system only reduces the temperature by a couple of degrees, and cab temperatures reached 40 degrees during the latest hot spells.

The London mayor Sadiq Khan has said drivers should not be working in conditions that are too hot or unsafe.

Speaking to LBC in June, he said: ‘Let me speak directly to bus drivers – if your cabin is too hot, I’ve given TFL permission, and told the bus operators, you must not be driving that bus.’

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Time and time again drivers have complained to Arriva North London about working in dangerous conditions but the company has failed to act which is completely unacceptable.

‘A profitable company such as Arriva could easily invest in improving conditions for its drivers and protecting the general public but is instead prioritising greed. We will back our members all the way in this dispute.’

Fatigued bus drivers have raised the alarm over a ‘dangerous’ epidemic behind the wheel, citing shift patterns and pressure.

Reaction after bus strike announcement

Wasim Mohammed, Arriva London managing director, told Metro: ‘We take the welfare of our drivers seriously and understand the impact of this extreme weather on them.

‘We are working closely with Transport for London to support both our colleagues and customers during these hot spells. We’ve introduced short-term measures to protect drivers, and we’re investing in longer-term fixes, including cab air conditioning upgrades and our ongoing investment in new fleet.

‘We remain ready to sit down with Unite at any time to discuss these important issues and find a resolution that avoids both strike action and the disruption it would cause to customers.’

A spokesperson for TfL said the strike action is expected to hit local bus routes in north and some central London areas.

However, the majority of the capital’s bus network will operate as planned on the strike days, they said.

Some routes could be busier than usual and passengers should plan ahead and allow extra time for journes.

‘We encourage both parties to find a solution to this dispute and we’re sorry for any disruption to people’s journeys,’ TfL added.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The global AI race is usually portrayed as a contest between the US and China. But another story is unfolding across east Asia, where countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam are looking to command key parts of the AI value chain.

Here, sovereignty is the desired outcome. These governments are trying to secure enough control over critical AI capabilities such as chipmaking, computing infrastructure and physical AI applications like robotics to avoid becoming rule-takers in the next technological era.

While their intentions are similar, each country starts from a distinct point and has chosen a different path.

Taiwan already occupies perhaps the strongest strategic position. Home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), it dominates production of the world’s most advanced semiconductors – the hardware upon which cutting-edge AI systems depend. These include AI processors, which are chips designed to handle AI tasks.

Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of US tech firm Nvidia, is Taiwanese and on a recent visit to Taiwan exclaimed that the island is at the “epicentre” of the AI revolution. While Nvidia is the leading designer of AI processors, the physical manufacturing of these chips is outsourced primarily to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s focus now is on maintaining leadership in advanced chip production. The Taiwanese foreign minister, Francois Chih-chung Wu, said in late 2025 what many assumed to be the doctrine: that the most advanced chipmaking capabilities must remain in Taiwan.

TSMC has chipmaking facilities in Germany, Japan and the US. But these are not producing chips at the leading-edge; that is reserved for Taiwan.

South Korea is taking a similar approach to Taiwan. The country’s government and leading chipmakers, Samsung and SK Hynix, have recently announced an investment of nearly US$600 billion (£446 billion) in two new chip manufacturing plants in the south-west of the country.

Samsung and SK Hynix lead a distinct segment of the AI value chain from TSMC. They constitute nearly 80% of the global market for high-bandwidth memory chips. These chips provide the ultra-fast memory that AI processors rely on to train and run increasingly sophisticated models.

If the Nvidia-designed, TSMC-manufactured AI processors are the “brains” performing calculations, Samsung and SK Hynix’s high-bandwidth chips are the short-term memory that continuously supplies those processors with the data they need.

Seoul has also actively courted global AI leaders and chip designers. On his trip to Asia, Huang met with SK Hynix, LG and Naver chairmen. Before leaving, he asserted that South Korea is set to be a global leader in AI given its infrastructure strengths. American AI giant Anthropic is also reported to be collaborating with Samsung to develop a new AI chip.

Japan’s strategy looks different. Japanese AI investment commitments are smaller than in South Korea. Japan’s government has announced a target of US$65 billion of investment by its public and private sectors in physical AI by 2040. This is nearly a tenth the size of the Korean investment.

But this commitment has been followed by headlines that Japanese corporate giants SoftBank and Sony will lead Noetra, a consortium to develop an AI model to bolster robotics. The Japanese government sees physical AI applications like robotics as central to addressing the country’s demographic challenges and an area of competitive strength.

Nvidia is also embraced with open arms in Japan. In Huang’s July visit to Japan, the country’s strengths in AI for the factory floor, including automotive production and robotics, were emphasised. The Nvidia chief’s visit brought a collective sigh of relief in Tokyo as his earlier spring tour of Asia skipped Japan, which had stirred anxiety.

Vietnam starts from a lower technological base than its north-east Asian neighbours. However, it has outlined an ambitious catch-up strategy. Hanoi aims to train 50,000 chip engineers by 2030 and is courting major investments. This has included a commitment by Nvidia to build research and development and AI data centres in partnership with Vietnam’s telecoms giant, FTP.

Vietnam’s restrictions on the export of its unprocessed rare earth minerals reflect its longer-term ambition to manufacture chips, rather than only assemble and test them. Rare earths are important inputs into the advanced electronics, robotics and data-centre infrastructure that support the wider AI ecosystem.

Winning the race

Taiwan currently occupies the strongest position because it controls one of the most irreplaceable parts of the AI supply chain: manufacturing of the most advanced chips. South Korea follows closely through its combination of memory chips and industrial AI capabilities.

Japan’s strength lies in physical AI, injecting it in robotics. And while Vietnam is starting from a different position, it is pushing for future gains by investing in talent, critical minerals and facilities.

Success brings new challenges. The out-performance of South Korea and Taiwan’s AI chipmakers catapulted their national stock markets to new heights and then to quick collapse, fuelling consternation about both growing wealth inequality and volatility. In the short-run at least, “winning” the AI race bears social costs.

The broader lesson here is that AI competitiveness is not about becoming self-sufficient across the supply chain. Very few countries, even the US and China, can realistically achieve that. Instead, Asia’s middle powers are identifying how and where they can cultivate indispensability.

By specialising and building complementary strengths alongside major US technology firms, especially Nvidia, they are increasing both their economic competitiveness and their strategic relevance. This is how they are pursuing sovereignty through, not in, AI.

I live on a private road next to a popular beach. 

In the summer, when the car park is full, we get chancers trying to park outside our houses. 

If I’m expecting visitors, I ask tourists not to park there and I sometimes get abuse. 

Can I put up a no parking sign and traffic cones outside my own house?

Name and address supplied

Living next to a beach can be wonderful, until the summer crowds arrive and every spare patch of road becomes a potential parking space.

Private roads are those not controlled or maintained by the local council but instead by the people who live there.

This gives them greater rights over how they can be used. Some allow the public to walk and drive down them, which sounds like the case on your street, while others do not, and block access with gates.

The answer depends on one crucial fact: who owns the road and the land outside your house? 

Some homeowners own the land outside their property, while in other cases it belongs to another individual, a management company or all the residents jointly. 

Details are set out in the homes’ title deeds or in Land Registry records.

If you alone own the land outside your home, you can usually erect a sign stating that parking is not permitted or that the area is private. 

The sign doesn’t create your legal rights, but it makes motorists aware that parking without permission may amount to trespass and often deters would-be parkers without confrontation.

Traffic cones require a little more caution. You can generally place cones on land you own to discourage parking, provided they do not obstruct anyone else’s legal right of way or interfere with access. 

However, you should not place cones on land you don’t own or on any public highway.

If someone ignores the signs and parks anyway, resist the temptation to take matters into your own hands. 

You should never block the vehicle in, clamp it or arrange for it to be towed away yourself, as this could expose you to legal liability. 

In practice, a polite sign and, where possible, a co-ordinated approach with neighbours or any residents’ management company is often the most effective solution.

Conned out of hotel air con

I booked a holiday to Majorca using an online travel agent. The hotel didn’t have air conditioning, even though the listing said it did. 

It was very warm and I couldn’t sleep, so I complained to the hotel manager, who said it never had air conditioning. 

The agent says it was a mistake and that it can’t do anything.

D.P, Ledbury

Let me reassure you straight away: ‘It was a mistake, there’s nothing we can do’ is not an answer your travel agent is entitled to give. 

It is firmly on the hook here. The starting point is that the listing formed part of your contract.

When you booked on the strength of a hotel described as having air conditioning, that became part of what you paid for.

A hotel without it means the holiday simply wasn’t as described. An honest ‘mistake’ is no defence, as a trader is responsible for the accuracy of what it advertises, whether the error was deliberate or careless.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, services must match their description. When they fall short, you are entitled to a remedy – here, a price reduction reflecting the gap between what was promised and what you got.

Separately, under the Package Travel Regulations 2018, which apply if you booked a package such as flights and hotel together, the organiser is liable for elements not as described or falling below standard, regardless of where fault lies.

Air conditioning in a Majorcan summer goes to the heart of whether you could rest and enjoy your stay.

Disturbed sleep is a real and compensable loss. Put a claim in writing to the agent. State the room was mis-described, cite the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Package Travel Regulations if relevant, and request proportionate compensation.

Attach the original listing showing air con, plus photos or booking paperwork.

If they stonewall, check whether the agent belongs to industry body ABTA, and escalate. Do not accept that brush-off!

By LILY JOBSON, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 16:06 BST, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 23:36 BST, 4 August 2026

Daisy May Cooper has branded her father Paul a ‘narcissist’ in a foul-mouthed rant with brother Charlie about their ‘messed up’ childhood on Tuesday.

The comedy duo previously labelled their family as ‘dysfunctional’ growing up, before they found fame on the Bafta-winning hit This Country.

Paul also plays Daisy and Charlie’s on-screen father in the hit mockumentary series. 

The siblings were raised in a two-bedroom council house by their parents and had financial struggles.

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Now incredibly close to their father, Daisy and Charlie revealed it hasn’t always been happy families with their father.

Speaking on Fearne Cotton‘s Happy Place podcast, Charlie said: ‘We did have a period where we just talk and it was all about stuff that happened as kids.’

Daisy May Cooper branded her father Paul a ‘narcissist’ in a foul-mouthed rant with brother Charlie about their ‘messed up’ childhood on Tuesday

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Now incredibly close to their father, Daisy and Charlie revealed it hasn’t always been happy families with their father (pictured together in 2021)

Daisy added: ‘It was like childhood stuff that you are just remembering stuff together and you go, “F***, our dad is a f****** narcissist and he f***** us up really loads”.

‘That’s the only thing we came to a conclusion on. We don’t know whether ghosts exist, but we we know our dad’s a f****** narcissist.’

‘You take after him!’ Charlie said.

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‘Yes so do you, yes you f****** do’, Daisy hit back.

Last year, Daisy lifted the lid on how her incredible 10-stone weight loss and lip filler treatment delayed the filming of season two of Am I Being Unreasonable?

Reflecting on how they dealt with the continuity challenges, the comedian said: ‘Series one is meant to be 30 seconds before series two and in that 30 seconds I’ve lost about 10 stone and had my lips done. 

‘I saw the rushes and I said to the BBC, “God, we’re going to have a disclaimer at the beginning saying – Daisy has had her lips done, go with it and please don’t judge”.’ 

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The comedy duo previously labelled their family as ‘dysfunctional’ growing up, before they found fame on the Bafta-winning hit This Country

Discussing her appearance, the mother-of-two told the BBC podcast How To Be In The Spotlight: ‘I’m so for body positivity but when I was at my biggest I was at my most miserable and I had a massive food addiction.’

Daisy – who split from husband Will Weston in July 2021 after nearly two years of marriage – went on: ‘I wasn’t healthy. I couldn’t breathe when I was walking up the stairs. I was so unhappy.

‘And I’ve had some messages like, “Well, now you’ve lost the weight you’re not funny any more”.

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‘What the f**k? Why do women have to be f**king fat to be funny? That makes me so angry. I champion anybody. I think everybody should be happy with their body. But I wasn’t.’

A 30 and 40 mph speed limit will be enforced in Camblesforth Road from today (August 4) to 12 for Yorkshire Water works, with the order extending until September 4 if needed.

The restriction is due to Yorkshire Water installing apparatus.

Residents with queries should contact Yorkshire Water on 03451 242424.

• For more information about this public notice, click here.
• For more notices affecting YOUR area, visit our Public Notice Portal at publicnoticeportal.uk/york-press

Meanwhile, Main Street in Kelfield will close to vehicles from August 17 to 21, except for premises access, due to Northern Powergrid installing a new connection.

The closure order could last until October 17 if necessary, with alternative routes signposted.

The restriction is due to Northern Powergrid works to install a new connection.

Residents with queries should contact OCU Utilities Services Limited on 0113 3227545.

The Duchess of Sussex will be celebrating her 45th birthday today

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A close colleague of Prince Harry has revealed how his wife Meghan Markle, celebrating her 45th birthday today, asked to be referred to during a meeting.

Scott Moore was appointed chief executive of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 and met her a year before during a “One Year To Go” event.

And there was one thing on his mind before he spoke to her. “I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here,” he explained, in Richard Eden’s column for the Daily Mail.

He was told that simply: “Ma’am’ is fine.” Meanwhile, he was told “Sir” was the suitable word to address Harry. Traditionally, male members of the Royal Family are first addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’, followed by ‘Sir’, while female members are referred to as ‘Your Royal Highness’, and then ‘Ma’am’.

However, following Harry and Meghan’s choice to withdraw as senior working royals in 2020, they were stripped of their HRH titles. Consequently, they can no longer be addressed as Your Royal Highness, though they retain their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles.

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The adoption of formal titles such as ‘Sir’ for Prince Harry and ‘Ma’am’ for Meghan Markle represents a striking departure from his earlier position in 2020.

At that time, during a tourism conference in Edinburgh, Harry famously championed a more informal approach. Ayesha Hazarika, the event’s host, disclosed: “He’s made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry.”

Meghan has been in the news once more in recent weeks after making a surprise appearance on MasterChef Australia. It pulled in over a million viewers – but it was her introduction that really got people talking.

The highly anticipated episode, which was filmed back in April, finally hit television screens late last month. Behind the scenes, the Duchess of Sussex was a hit with the crew, with show insiders praising her as “delightful” and “easy-going” on set.

However, the matter of how she was formally addressed on the programme has sparked a fresh wave of controversy. The drama unfolded when judge Poh Ling Yeow welcomed her into the famous kitchen, announcing to the contestants:

“We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but no one like this… please welcome to MasterChef Australia… the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”

Sources close to Meghan claimed the specific use of the term “royalty” did not go down well, given that she is no longer a working member of the Royal Family.

Audiences watching the broadcast were equally irritated. Many fans took issue with the introduction, expressing their annoyance that her “Duchess” title was used for the television appearance.

The road reopened later than expected after a ‘complex’ issue appeared during the roadworks

A Cambridge road has reopened after a car-sized sinkhole formed on it. The sinkhole first appeared in Milton Road, Cambridge on July 10, with repairs beginning on July 14.

The sinkhole was described as the “size of a family car” at the time. Over the weeks it was repaired, Anglian Water came across a “complex” issue which delayed the reopening of the road.

However, the road officially reopened on Monday (August 3). A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “The sinkhole repair works on Milton Road have now been completed, and the road is fully reopened to traffic.

“We’d like to thank everyone in the community for their patience and understanding while these essential repairs were carried out. Special thanks also go to our Highways team for their hard work and dedication in resolving this complex issue.”

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in from across the county? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in.

By KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 20:53 BST, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 23:02 BST, 4 August 2026

Parts of London enjoyed a brief period of rain for the first time in six weeks this afternoon as Britain continues to bake in record-breaking heat. 

Gardens, parks and golf courses across the capital have turned into a desert amid temperatures of up to 35C, following one of the driest July months ever recorded. 

While most of today’s rain fell across the north and west of the UK – with 32.4mm recorded at Kinlochewe in Scotland – Southeast England also saw a trace of just under 0.2mm in locations such as Heathrow. 

The level of rainfall was not enough to bring London out of its dry spell, the Environment Agency confirmed, with seven areas across England still in drought. 

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The areas are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex. 

London is set to remain dry throughout this week and next, with slightly cooler temperatures of around 23C on the way. 

But rivers are still running low, wildfire risk is increasing and millions of people are living under restrictions on water use. 

Londoners on their commute home from work took to social media today to report their surprise at the brief spot of rain. One woman uploaded a video of herself smiling as she walked through the light shower, captioning the clip: ‘PSA: It is raining in London. Never thought I’d be so happy to see the rain in my life. Hallelujah.’ 

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One woman took to social media to express her joy while walking through the light rain in London today 

Someone captioned their post: ‘I never thought I’d see the day it rains again in London’ 

Another posted a video of a rainy London, saying they ‘love’ the unexpected shower amid a period of drought 

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Another showed rain falling onto a residential street, captioning the post: ‘Well that was unexpected London / 4th August 26.’ 

A third uploaded a photo of a slightly damp patio, writing: ‘Well that was pathetic lasted a few minutes but some rain which has sort of dampened the ground. Nothing measurable, amusing that’s the “wettest” I’ve seen it in six weeks. #London.’ 

Someone reacted to the post: ‘These are unusual times.’ 

The Environment Agency has increased its operational response amid the period of drought by controlling how much water can be taken from rivers and groundwaters.

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Helen Wakeham, Director of Water at the Environment Agency and Chair of the National Drought Group, said: ‘The hot and dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.

‘A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife, and the economy.

‘We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture.’ 

Millions of Britons are also under hosepipe bans as water companies look to protect reserves. 

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Tiny puddles could be seen on the ground in one clip taken in the capital today 

One person on social media took a video of a grey sky in London, captioning their post: ‘It’s raining!!!’ 

Horse riders on a path beside scorched grass at Richmond Park in south-west London today

A Daily Mail investigation told how one Kent road, just outside London, has been divided by water freedoms, with one half forbidden to use their hosepipes as the other remained free to do so.

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The Met Office said more than half of England was in drought and several counties had seen less than 1mm of rainfall across the whole of July.

Last week it said provisional statistics showed England and Wales were on track to record their driest July in almost 200 years.

Meanwhile, the country as a whole was set for its third driest July on record, seeing just 35 per cent of the rainfall it would usually experience.

The Met Office added the dry conditions had come alongside ‘exceptional warmth’ across the country, with England set for its joint-warmest July for average temperature and Wales on course for its hottest-ever.

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