National News

Here are the latest stories from the team at Radio News Hub. The links will open in a new page and take you to their website.

• West Midlands crews make progress tackling wildfires after extensive devastation

  Fire crews are making progress tackling huge blazes in the West Midlands that led to thousands of 999 calls and caused “extensive” devastation, a fire chief said.

• Farage wins in Clacton as police contest credible threat claim at count

  Nigel Farage has won the Clacton by-election amid contested claims he was told by police not to attend the election count due to a “credible threat” against him.

• Two people seriously injured after train with 150 on board derails

  Two people have been seriously injured after a train with around 150 people on board derailed near Lewes in East Sussex.

• UK has hottest day of year so far as temperatures hit 381C

  The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures provisionally reached 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office said.

• Huge fires threaten to tear through homes in West Midlands

  Huge fires have threatened to tear through homes in the West Midlands after dramatic footage circulating online showed enormous flames coming from buildings and a golf course.

• Do not treat customers like a blank cheque Burnham warns water companies

  Andy Burnham has warned water companies against treating customers like “a blank cheque” after the regulator provisionally allowed them to unexpectedly further raise bills.

• A level top grades rise for third year in a row likely driven by maths scores

  The proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades has risen for the third year in a row, likely driven by the popularity of maths and students scoring highly in it.

• World Cup and Junes heatwave help UK economy withstand Iran war pressures

  Britain’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter but a boost from heatwaves and the World Cup helped offset impacts from the Iran war in a better-than-expected performance in June, official figures have shown.

• UK could see hottest day of year as parts of England may hit 38C

  The UK could see its hottest day of the year so far as parts of England may hit 38C during the peak of the fifth heatwave of the summer.

• Burnham to consider disposable BBQ ban amid heatwave and wildfire risk

  Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the UK.

• Serial sex attacker Simon Levy jailed for whole life over murders of two women

  A serial sex attacker who murdered two women and raped a third after being left free to kill has been jailed for the rest of his life.

• Specialist glasses sell out as Britons prepare for best solar eclipse in decades

  Specialist glasses have sold out at major retailers as Britons prepare for the best solar eclipse in decades.

• Itsy Bitsy singer Brian Hyland to perform in Downing St for diagnosis campaign

  Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini singer Brian Hyland will perform his 1960 classic hit in Downing Street as he backs a campaign for better NHS diagnoses.

• PM to chair emergency Cobra meeting amid extreme heat warning and wildfires

  Andy Burnham will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday in response to extreme heat, which has caused widespread wildfires and plunged many parts of the country into drought.

• Romell Glave says its my time to dominate after winning 100m European gold

  Romell Glave emerged from winning the 100m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham wearing a gold costume crown and declared “now is my time to dominate”.

• UKs largest Harry Potter shop to open in central London

  The UK’s largest Harry Potter shop is to open in London’s Oxford Street in November, Warner Bros has announced.

• Summer 2026 on course to be UKs hottest on record

  The UK is on course for its hottest summer on record, with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat the record set just last year, the Met Office said.

• Wounded man arrested on suspicion of murder after shooting near pub

  A man who attended hospital with a gunshot wound has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 25-year-old was shot dead near a pub.

• Firefighters work tirelessly to contain New Forest fire

  Firefighters are beginning a third day of tackling a fire in the New Forest which they say they are “managing to contain” after working “tirelessly” through the night.

• Solution identified to prevent early release of Pc Andrew Harpers killers

  Pc Andrew Harper’s killers will not walk free early after Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the Justice Secretary to “work through further options” to stop their release, a minister has suggested.

• Drinking and driving peaks in August as temptation rises analysis

  August is the worst month of the year for drink-drive crashes as summer events create “more opportunities” to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, according to new research.

• Burnham to scrap Blair era rule in crackdown on new betting and vape shops

  Andy Burnham has pledged to give councils more powers to block new bookmakers and vape shops in a bid to save Britain’s “hollowed-out high streets”.

• Heat health alerts coming into force as UK braces for fifth heatwave

  Heat health alerts are to come into force as the UK braces for the fifth heatwave of the year, with almost three-quarters of England in drought.

• Injuries and serious damage as powerful earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador

  A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American nation and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.

• Government condemns smugglers after record 230 migrants arrive in single boat

  The Government has condemned the “reckless and dangerous” tactics used by people smugglers after a record 230 migrants arrived after crossing the Channel to the UK in a single boat.