The warning comes as operators anticipate some disruption to the lines as temperatures soar this week

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Passengers are being urged to try to avoid train travel unless necessary this week as the UK endures its fifth heatwave of the year with soaring temperatures.

In some regions, temperatures are forecast to reach 30C and more on Thursday, prompting operators to issue an early warning over potential disrupted services.

The railway can be adversely affected by heat, which can lead to buckled rails, sagging overhead electric wires and lineside fires. Steel rails can exceed 50C when the air temperature is 30C.

Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway issued alerts to “only travel if essential”.

Other operators will either run a reduced timetable or are warning about the potential for short-notice cancellations.

Northern said it will run fewer trains than normal on some routes in the North West and Yorkshire on Thursday because of the extreme heat.

It told passengers that high temperatures “increase the risk of issues on the railway and with the reliability of our trains”, which means it must make adjustments to its usual timetable “to keep trains running”.

Some ticket restrictions have been eased, and passengers are being asked to check for travel updates before setting off, as well as carry water with them to stay hydrated.

Chiltern Railways said temperatures are expected to reach highs of 38C on parts of its network on Thursday. It will operate a reduce timetable between 11am and 8pm.

Among the changes are:

• Off-peak services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street will operate hourly instead of half-hourly.
• Some services between London Marylebone and Oxford will be cancelled.
• No Chiltern Railways services will operate from Birmingham Snow Hill from 10.15am until the end of the day.

Michael Stewart, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: “We are asking customers to travel only if essential on Thursday because of the exceptionally high temperatures forecast across our network.

“By operating a reduced timetable during the hottest part of the day, we can provide a more reliable and comfortable service for customers.”

East Midlands Railway said trains between Nottingham and Worksop, and on the Nottingham to Leicester regional stopping route, will not run on Thursday after midday.

The Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich route will run between Sheffield and Norwich only.

Another operator, Northern, said it will run fewer trains than normal on some routes in the North West and Yorkshire on Thursday because of extreme heat.

It told passengers: “High temperatures increase the risk of issues on the railway and with the reliability of our trains, which means we have to make adjustments to our usual timetable to keep trains running.”

South Cambridgeshire approved the solar farm, which is expected to provide power for thousands of homes

A temporary solar farm has been approved in the Cambridgeshire countryside despite fears it will harm the green belt. The development would also include a battery energy storage facility and developers Innova Renewables said it could power around 13,422 homes annually.

They said the panels would deliver up to 49.99MW of renewable energy and 10MW could be stored. South Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee considered the application for a 40-year operational period, after which the site would be restored to agricultural use.

Concerns had been raised about the 74 hectare site off Low Fen Drove Way in Horningsea’s impact on nearby Grade-II listed Biggin Abbey.

The proposal is also next to a site where the sewage treatment works in Cambridge was set to be relocated – but the future of this is unclear after the government withdrew funding.

The application was recommended for approval by council officers who said it would be “temporary and low scale” and considered the land to be grey belt – a site considered to make only a limited contribution to the green belt.

John Hughes, from the National Trust, said that “significant opportunities” were missed in the application to improve biodiversity and nature recovery. He said: “With a close proximity to Cambridge and other local populations, an opportunity to better connect with people and nature has been missed along with the varied social benefits it would provide.”

Although the scheme “substantially exceeds” the requirement for biodiversity net gain, Mr Hughes said this was largely through “passive measures” like the conversion of arable land to grassland. He said: “For a development of this scale on green belt land we would have expected a more ambitious and integrated approach to nature recovery.”

An agent for the developer said the scheme had “significant benefits” and would support “both local and national renewable energy and decarbonisation targets”.

She said: “South Cambridgeshire Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and this year’s climate and nature strategy committed to a 50 per cent reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050 for area wide emissions. This is well evident in the climate conditions we’re seeing across the UK and Europe this week.”

Councillor Anna Bradnam, speaking as ward councillor for Milton and Waterbeach, said that although the scheme is described as temporary, “40 years is half a lifetime”.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “I respect the officer’s view but regret that the green belt protections which used to be so strong have been eroded by this concept of grey belt. I believe this development would have a degrading and industrialising impact on the countryside in this area – how can 74 hectares of glass and metal for 40 years be considered a minor adverse impact?”

Cllr Vivien Biggs, of Swavesey, said that the development couldn’t be argued to enhance the area, but they had to consider balance.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “I think we have to be pragmatic, and obviously anybody having something like this in their back yard is not going to be particularly happy. It’s not beautiful, but we also know we don’t own the view unless we own the land.”

Cllr Heather Williams, of The Mordens, also said that planning was about “trade-offs” and there will never be a “perfect solution”.

The Conservative councillor said: “There’s merit for it in its objectives but, in my view, there’s a lot of policies it comes into conflict with. I think we need more renewable energy and I 100 per cent understand why farming communities are looking to things like solar in the current situation – but there are alternative places.”

The solar farm was approved with four voting in favour and one against.

Layton Lightfoot, Jesse Reaney and Charlie Wilcock “were on a mission to use violence” when they launched a “cruel and brutal” attack on David Cuthbert in his home. 

The trio entered the Egglescliffe Close property, in Hardwick, Stockton, on January 10 where a knife was delivered with such force that it penetrated David’s heart and lung.

David Cuthbert (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

All three men had spent a day in escalating violence, starting with badly beating and robbing a woman after trying to attack a home by kicking at a door. 

Minutes before the murder, Lightfoot, 18, Reaney, 18, and Wilcock, 19, stole the woman’s money by punching and kicking her on the floor before making their way to David’s home.

They were all captured on CCTV walking onto the street at around 4.30pm and, as they entered armed with a knife, filmed David cowering on an armchair in his bedroom. 

Jesse Reaney (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

It was there that he was inflicted with numerous injuries to the left side of his body. 

As they fled, David managed to crawl to the hallway.

He was found by the front door a few hours later after a relative had become aware of footage of part of David’s attack filmed by Wilcock on Snapchat.

Charlie Wilcock (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

After climbing through a window to get to David and making attempts to save his life, he sadly died inside the home.

Detectives were able to identify Reaney and Wilcock from the footage that had been shared online. It showed them entering David’s home while armed with a knife.

Their evidence grew stronger from further data on the men’s phones and Lightfoot’s electronic tag to outline all their movements after the murder had taken place.

It included reports of the men being at a petrol station. 

Layton Lightfoot (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

After being picked up by a taxi they set off only to ask the driver to travel back to the same petrol station where police later recovered a hood with a knife concealed inside and a matching jacket with Reaney’s bank card inside.

While giving evidence, all three told the jury that they profit from dealing crack cocaine.

Wilcock admitted to carrying a weapon to deal drugs most days, Teesside Crown Court heard.

And today (August 12), a jury found Lightfoot, of Stockwith Close in Middlesbrough, Reaney, of Lowthian Road in Hartlepool, and Wilcock, of no fixed address, guilty of murder and robbery.

A police van on Egglescliffe Close in Stockton following the death of David Cuthbert. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

They will return to Teesside Crown Court on November 27 to be sentenced.

Following the verdict, David’s family said: “Our minds are scarred by the cruelty and brutal act that these three men carried out on David.

“Losing David has left us absolutely heartbroken. There are no words to describe the pain we feel. We are forever changed.”

Temporary Detective Superintendent and senior investigating officer Daryll Tomlinson said: “I am pleased the jury has found Lightfoot, Reaney and Wilcock guilty of murder and given David’s family the justice that they deserve.

“These three men, who were heavily involved in criminality and instilling fear, were on a mission that day to use violence through the use of weapons to obtain money or drugs from those living within the community.

“They wanted to assert their authority, brazenly brag about their violence to those online and then when reality set in try to conceal their involvement and continue to lie. 

“All without any thought for the pain and harm they caused to David and his family and friends.”

Scottish Labour membership collapsed by a third during Anas Sarwar’s leadership, according to the frontrunner to replace him. Michael Marra claimed the total number had slumped to 11,000 – a fall of 33% in five years.

Sarwar consistently refused to bow to demands when he was leader to reveal how many signed up members his party had. Critics believed the secrecy was an attempt at concealing a big fall during his stewardship.

Marra, who along with fellow MSPs Monica Lennon and Joe Fagan is vying to lead Scottish Labour, shed light on the mystery during a hustings for the trade union Unison last week.

His estimation of 11,000, which he said in front of trade unionists, marks a significant reduction on the 16,467 revealed by the Record in 2021. In 2019, the total stood at 21,162 and it was 25,836 twelve months earlier.

Sarwar said after the general election: “Our membership has actually increased since the election but I’m interested in not membership numbers, because parties can all argue about membership numbers.

“It’s well known that a different party other than mine has probably the largest membership number of any political party in the country, but what matters is the number of votes you get, not the number of members you have.

“We got the most votes in the election a couple of months ago and that gives us [the] opportunity to deliver change right across the UK and I want us to get the most votes in 2026 so we can deliver change in Scotland.”

Despite losing a huge number of members over the previous ten years, the SNP still has around 51,000, according to official filings. The Scottish Green total has exceeded 10,000 while the Scottish Tories do not publish their figures.

SNP MSP Jack Middleton said: “Scottish Labour is completely cooked as a party.

“Their leadership contest has descended into civil war, and given the contenders, it’s no wonder folk are running for the exits.“Michael Marra penned the most disastrous manifesto in the party’s history while Jackie Baillie’s pick, Joe Fagan, has spent more time deleting his own murky Wikipedia entries than listening to hard working Scots.“No matter who leads them, the Labour Party will continue to haemorrhage support for as long as they oppose giving Scots the right to decide their own future.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP said: “Labour’s collapsing membership is the latest sign of a party that has lost its sense of purpose.

“The Labour Party has turned its back on workers, abandoned serious climate action and given up on the kind of progressive change that so many of its members once joined the party to fight for.

“Labour’s membership numbers have dropped significantly because people are looking for a party that actually believes in something and is prepared to fight for it. Increasingly, they are finding that in the Scottish Greens.

“The Scottish Greens are now championing much of what Labour has walked away from since they formed the UK Government: standing up for workers, tackling inequality, confronting the climate crisis and putting people and planet ahead of corporate profit.

“That is why our movement is still growing, with over 10,000 members, and why we are on course to overtake Labour’s membership in Scotland.”

Lennon said: “It’s obvious that Scottish Labour has taken a dip in popularity, evidenced by us only returning 17 MSPs at the Scottish Parliament elections in May, but our party has been on a steady decline for years.

“This is due to a lack of ambition, an inability to learn from past failures and an unwillingness to adapt quickly enough to an ever-changing political landscape and this will of course impact on our membership numbers.

“If I am elected the next leader of Scottish Labour I have no doubt our membership numbers will increase because people will see that we are a party of purpose, a party of doing rather than a party of empty words. If we want to be a party that leads the way in Scottish politics then our members have to be at the heart of everything that we do.”

Two members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet were on a decoy plane that Trump secretly exited before boarding a different flight in Turkey last month, CBS News reports.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard what was believed to be Air Force One and didn’t join a flight that was provided to Trump over security concerns involving Iran.

After Trump entered Air Force One on 8 July with both officials and members of the press, he hid on a catering truck to be clandestinely transported to a military plane.

The label “Air Force One” applies to any plane the president is on, but in this case the original craft kept the call signal, becoming a decoy.

According to CBS – the BBC’s US partner – Rubio and Bessent remained on board the first aircraft to maintain the line of succession in case something happened to Trump.

In the event that the president dies or is incapacitated, Vice-President JD Vance would take power, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

The Secretary of State comes next in line, followed by the treasury secretary.

Others who stayed on the initial aircraft designated as Air Force One included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Steven Cheung, the White House’s communications director.

The second aircraft that flew President Trump out of Ankara also included Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, according to US media reports.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump said the decision to undertake the deception was made by the US military and the Secret Service, who “wanted me to go in a different flight”.

The nature of the security threat remains unclear, with Trump providing no specifics, saying only that he gets “a lot of threats”.

“Any consequential president has a lot of threats,” he added.

The Goodmanham Arms, located just outside Market Weighton in East Yorkshire, earned a spot in The Telegraph’s list of the 500 Best Pubs in England, which highlights venues for their charming character, welcoming staff, rich history and award-winning beer.

A spokesperson for the pub said: “To our family, the staff and the pub industry – this inspires us.

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“We are incredibly grateful for the support and recognition – non of this would be possible without the amazing customers that come in and keep us going. Thank you to everyone who made this possible by supporting us.”

Staff also thanked The Telegraph for featuring them in its 2026 Best Pubs in the UK guide.

In the review, it was described as an ‘atmospheric East Riding local’ with one reviewer saying the following: “One of The Goodmanham Arms’ regulars is standing at the bar, unusually well-attired. Where’s he off to, a series of employees and fellow customers wonder?

The pub’s beer garden (Image: Provided)

“The first day of Beverley Races, of course, but not before a few at this delightful pub in the heart of the East Riding. On a Wednesday lunchtime, this atmospheric, trinket-strewn pub is quickly filling up with couples eating lunch and regulars dropping in for a pint.

“The most sought-after seats appear to be those by the fire in the room to the left of the bar – but there are no bad spots in this delightful pub.”

In a review from 2019, former York Press reporter Stephen Lewis added that upon opening the door on the quirky and rustic local, he ‘fell in love’ with the ‘this absolutely brilliant, magical little pub’.

The pub’s letter from the Telegraph (Image: Provided)

The pub is among several from North and East Yorkshire to be included in this year’s expanded list, which now also features establishments from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In East Yorkshire, The White Horse Inn in Beverley, The Old Ship Inn in Bridlington, and The Old Star in Kilham also made the cut.

In the North riding, pubs like Birch Hall Inn in Beck Hole, Tan Hill Inn near Richmond and Hales Bar in Harrogate were recognised, along with York’s historic Blue Bell on Fossgate and The Swan in Bishopgate.

Mehmet Gundez was not asked to enter a plea during the hearing at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (August 12).

Ibrahim Yesildeniz, 25, who died after the ‘altercation’ in Bridlington (Image: Humberside Police)

The 24-year-old was charged with murder after the death of Ibrahim Yesildeniz, 25, in Bridlington on Monday (August 10).

Gundez, of Bridlington, was remanded in custody to appear at Hull Crown Court at 10am on Friday for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

Humberside Police said Mr Yesildeniz was pronounced dead in hospital after reports of an alleged “stabbing” in First Avenue at about 5.20am on Monday.

“Ibrahim’s family are being supported by specially trained officers and have asked for privacy,” a police spokesperson said.