UK news

UK news

Ten English fire services tackled a record number of grassland, woodland and crop fires during what was the UK's hottest spring and summer on record, figures show. In total nearly 27,000 wildfires were dealt with by fire services in England during the prolonged dry weather of 2025, according to analysis by PA Media. One fire chief said the summer was one of the most challenging that crews had ever faced and the frequency and intensity of the wildfires was putting a strain on resources.

The UK's train companies are set to kick off the new year with a January sale, offering discounted fares for journeys across the UK. The participating operators in the Great British Rail Sale are: All the DfT-regulated train companies are taking part in the Great British Rail Sale, and while GWR is also part of the January sale, it is also running an additional promotion here.

My parents wanted this to their final resting place, but it isn't going to be because of the sea. Projections suggest at least part of the churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but Mason fears it will happen much sooner. I think it's got less than 20 years, if you look at what's happened in the last 30 years, he said.

It's been a bit of a mixed bag, if I'm honest. The first half of the year was rather hampered by health gremlins, which put a definite dent in my usual habit of wandering off in random directions and spotting odd, interesting things simply by being out and about. That said, there's always a flip side. It turned out to be a cracking year for exhibitions,

At the start of the year, hundreds of swimmers returned to south-west London for the Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido. Almost 100 races, including a best hat competition, were held in the 5.5C (41.9F) water, marking the first time the championships had been held at the venue since before the Covid pandemic.

Facebook hosted terrorist propaganda that celebrated the murder of Jews and praised Islamic State, a leading anti-hate group has alleged. The posts included celebrations of the Bondi beach massacre that the Community Security Trust says Facebook has been too slow to take down. The posts were still on Facebook on 16 December, two days after the attack, and received shares and likes.

People will be barred from watching London's New Year's Eve fireworks from a popular beauty spot where thousands usually flock to celebrate. The park in Camden has panoramic views of the capital and in 2024 an estimated 30,000 revellers marked the beginning of year at the park. As officers prepare for one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services, the force reminded Londoners and visitors not to try and gather in Primrose Hill as they have been able to in previous years.

Aaron Anderson, from Consett, sustained life-threatening injuries when a John Deere Gator overturned at a farm near Burnopfield, County Durham, on December 21. Durham Police confirmed the incident, and in a tribute released through the force, Aaron's family described him as a "cheeky chappie who was always smiling and would never fail to brighten up your day". He had been receiving treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

A hundred years ago, if you wanted a knighthood, say, a baronetcy or even a peerage and, worthy or not, were prepared to pay for it, you called on a man named Arthur Maundy Gregory, who had set up in a large office almost directly opposite Downing Street. Liveried servants, their uniforms so closely modelled on those of House of Commons messengers that you could not tell the difference, would usher you into Gregory's office, where the man himself, immaculately dressed,

In a statement, Made in Britain said it had become aware that Reform UK was using a logo it believes to be "substantially similar" to its registered mark across marketing materials and merchandise. The organisation stressed that no authorisation, licence or consent had been granted for such use. Made in Britain said it maintains a strictly neutral political stance and does not endorse, support or affiliate with any political party or movement.

Police have asked Londoners to avoid certain areas as the force gears up for one of the busiest nights of the year. Met Police officers told New Year's Eve revellers to plan their night in advance, including checking Tube, bus and rail updates before leaving the house. The force asked people to consider attending local events rather than heading into central London, which will be awash with thousands of people ringing in the new year on Wednesday December 31.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which has almost 260,000 members, has said that from March it will stop allowing students to take online exams in all but exceptional circumstances. We're seeing the sophistication of [cheating] systems outpacing what can be put in, [in] terms of safeguards, Helen Brand, the chief executive of the ACCA, said in an interview with the Financial Times. Remote testing was introduced during the Covid pandemic to allow students to continue to be able to qualify at a time when lockdowns prevented in-person exam assessment.

Look at the condition we're living in. I've lived here for 64 years, I came to this country at 16 I've never seen it this bad. I'm sick, he says. I try my best. At the end of the day, I just want my area clean. That's all I want. Piles of bin bags, broken glass and furniture have been dumped on the street outside his home and the mosque next door.

The 27-year-old looked nearer his best when he was recalled for the fourth Test, taking three wickets and making 28 with the bat in England's first innings. He grabbed his left hamstring at the end of the fourth over of his spell on the second morning and immediately left the field.

The DLR station is currently closed as all the escalators are being replaced after repeated attempts to repair them failed to fix the faults. Because the station was built with very limited space, it had to close during the repairs, as there was no sensible way of redirecting passengers. The cramped space also means it's hard to deliver replacement escalator components by road and send them in through the ticket hall, as is usually done elsewhere.

By and large, these wait times depended on practice's capacity and an overall increase in demand. In November, Labour said that around 45% of patients were being seen on the day they requested an appointment. However, analysis of data from NHS England found that across the country there were 1.77 million four-week waits for appointments with a GP in November - up almost 250,000 on July 2024

Our officers are determined to ensure women and girls live free from violence and abuse. We are relentless in our focus on tackling domestic abuse. It will not be tolerated, and perpetrators will be held accountable. We tackle violence against women and girls every day of the year, preventing harm and bringing offenders to justice. We don't do this alone but work with partners to identify and address the societal issues at the root of gender-based violence, so that we can stop abusive behaviour before it begins.

The analysis of Department for Transport data shows that Hounslow in west London offers advertisers the greatest potential audience, with an average of 232.2 vehicles passing over each kilometre of road every hour - nearly 50 times more than the least trafficked area. Hillingdon, another west London borough, ranks second with 225.2 vehicles per hour per kilometre of road. This high volume reflects its position as home to Heathrow Airport and several major motorways.

Fires can cause devastation all year round, but this is heightened around Christmas with families potentially left homeless and possessions destroyed. We want to ensure Londoners take every precaution to prevent fires from spoiling the festive period. Keep candles well away from any Christmas decorations. Decorations can easily fuel a fire and as Christmas trees dry out, they can burn quickly and cause flames to spread in seconds.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Police sirens were still sounding and the pavement was stained with blood when I first met Abdullah Tanoli in August 2024. It was only a few hours after he had intervened in a knife attack on a young girl in central London. Abdullah stood nearby, calm and composed, having just disarmed a man who had stabbed an 11-year-old child multiple times. The attacker, 33-year-old Ioan Pintaru, was sentenced on Tuesday to indefinite detention in a high security mental hospital.

Detectives are warning cable thieves bringing chaos to train and Eurostar services their activities will not be tolerated, as the bill reached 12.1 million and caused over 202,000 hours of delays. British Transport Police hit out after one brazen offender, Frank Lane, 47, was jailed for brazenly stealing metal from a railway depot in broad daylight. The soaring value of raw materials such as copper means wiring used to power the network has become a multi-million pound haul for criminals.

Fires can cause devastation all year round, but this is heightened around Christmas with families potentially left homeless and possessions destroyed. We want to ensure Londoners take every precaution to prevent fires from spoiling the festive period.

Born in Cardiff in 1963, Morris became Glamorgan's youngest ever captain at the age of 22 before returning to the role later in his career, leading them to the Sunday League title in 1993, their first trophy in 24 years. The recipient of three Test caps in 1991, when he was unable to make much of an impression as he averaged 19.16, Morris also led England A on tours to South Africa, the West Indies and Sri Lanka.

"County lines is where strangers, or gangs, or those involved in criminal activities try to use children for their own benefit," explains Leo Powell, a county lines educator. He was carrying out a role play with the children about grooming. "I've bought some food for him, he thinks we're friends, so now I say, "you owe me money', explains Mr Powell to the class. "That's called debt bondage."