this is bbc news. i'm christian fraser. the headlines at 5:00pm: an amber extreme heat warning comes into force across large parts of the country for the next four days — a drought appears to be inevitable — there are also warnings of fires. we are anticipating significant heat, similar vein to what we saw back injuly and we want to try to avoid repeats of the scenes that we saw on the 19th ofjuly where people lost their homes and their livelihoods. accident and emergency departments in england had one of their worst ever months injuly — with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted. so our hospitals are full. as a consequence, our emergency departments are full and then, as a further consequence of that, we are unable to off—load patients out of ambulances.

borisjohnson urges energy companies to act in the national interest — and do more to cut rising bills — as he meets energy bosses at downing street. the police watchdog says forces in england and wales are failing victims of burglaries, robberies and theft — with too few suspects being charged. the crisis of local swimming pools — the bbc finds more than 60 have closed across the uk in the past 3 years. hello and welcome to bbc news at 5:00pm. an amber heat warning for large parts of england and wales has come into force, as temperatures look likely to peak at 37 degrees celsius over the next four days.

the met office has also warned there's an "exceptional" risk of fires spreading in many places and water companies believe a drought could be declared soon. celestina 0lulode has this report. this is what emergency services want to prevent. tinderbox dry conditions helped cause these fires last month. london fire brigade said it needs the public�*s help to prevent grass fires. we're encouraging people not to use portable and disposable barbecues in public spaces, to think very carefully about how they dispose of cigarettes, to think about rubbish that's lying around, as well, particularly things like broken glass that can reflect the light from the sun and trigger a fire. an amber warning has been issued by the met office, which means vulnerable people's health could be impacted, and travel disrupted. we're being told to stay hydrated and eat foods with high water content, limit travel and exercise,

and shower in cool water. there's no doubt it is a gorgeous day here on london's primrose hill, but look a little closer and you will see the desperately dry conditions that nature's had to contend with. temperatures are set to reach up to 35 celsius in some areas, peaking here at 37. in barry island, wales, this is how some wild swimmers began their day. i think i would have - melted a long time ago! ijust would have been a pool on the floor at some point... | laughter ..if i hadn't been in and out of the sea all the time. - but in norfolk, this farm needs rain. this is probably typical of what a sugar beet plant should look like at this time of year. but as you can see, the patch we are standing in at the moment, it is on lighter soil, exposed to the sun and heat. no moisture. it was planted on the first week of april. we've had less than 70 millimetres of rain since this crop has been in the ground. we've got lots of roots this size,

compared to this size. forecasts predict rain could come soon. we could see some showers on sunday, more of us seeing some rain next week, not necessarily where we want it, of course, with lower temperatures. but with more than three inches of extra rain needed to overcome dry conditions in southern england, and several water companies introducing hosepipe bans, bone—dry land like this remains a common sight. celestina 0lulode, bbc news. let's talk to dave swallow, group commander for hereford and worcester fire and rescue service. very welcome to the programme, tell us about the pressures your crews are under, how frequently they are being called and ham address they are getting between those call—outs? i think of the last few weeks and particularly over the next couple of days, we are expecting it to be

particularly busy, far more busy than we would be for a normal weekend in august. 0ur crews are working particularly hard across the country. working particularly hard across the count . �* �* , working particularly hard across the count . �* �*, , , working particularly hard across the count .�* , ., ., country. and it's super hot out there, country. and it's super hot out there. you _ country. and it's super hot out there. you are _ country. and it's super hot out there, you are working - country. and it's super hot out there, you are working in - country. and it's super hot out there, you are working in this| country. and it's super hot out. there, you are working in this fire resistant kit, how dangerous is that to the welfare of the cruise? the crews are _ to the welfare of the cruise? the crews are well _ to the welfare of the cruise? tue: crews are well used to the welfare of the cruise? tte: crews are well used to working in hot conditions as you can imagine, usually within buildings and fires rather than out in the countryside so to speak. so we have... we are aware of physiology and the need to keep hydrated and eat well. we will also adjust the level of ppe we need to be wearing it to the circumstances so that we are not overstretching our crews are. you are the man looking at the general picture across your region, is it a stupid question to ask whether you can pre—position resources, you know the sort of areas that are most at

risk? t the sort of areas that are most at risk? ~ ., ., ., risk? i think we are aware the south-east — risk? i think we are aware the south-east and _ risk? i think we are aware the south-east and the _ risk? i think we are aware the south-east and the south - risk? i think we are aware the south-east and the south of. risk? i think we are aware the l south-east and the south of the risk? i think we are aware the - south-east and the south of the uk south—east and the south of the uk in particular has had very little rainfall, we are starting to see satellite images now where it's actually you can see a colour difference between the east, the south—east and is it the south and the north—west of the uk where once white green had some rainfall compared to the other part that hasn't, but that said, we expect the dry conditions to be spread right across the uk. therefore it is difficult to reposition resources. because we are expecting nearly every service to be slightly or to be busy that they would be normally. but we have arrangements in place, local arrangements in place with neighbouring fire service, and the national resilience team which sits

across at all so to speak and can coordinate any assists across those boundaries as well. we coordinate any assists across those boundaries as well.— boundaries as well. we all have a role to play _ boundaries as well. we all have a role to play in _ boundaries as well. we all have a role to play in this, _ boundaries as well. we all have a role to play in this, what - boundaries as well. we all have a role to play in this, what help - boundaries as well. we all have a role to play in this, what help do| role to play in this, what help do you need from the public? at role to play in this, what help do you need from the public? at the moment i would _ you need from the public? at the moment i would say, _ you need from the public? at the moment i would say, there - you need from the public? at the moment i would say, there has l you need from the public? at the - moment i would say, there has been a lot of talk about banning disposable barbecues, my advice personally would be that we avoid barbecuing at all, particularly in open spaces, in parks and on a more land areas like that. we avoid any kind of naked flame. smoke smokers need to be very careful when disposing of cigarettes and, take your litter home with you on a dispose of it appropriately, don'tjust drop it in the countryside because there is that risk, from glass bottles in particular, reflecting sunlight and starting a fire. we also have seen a number of incidents with farm machinery and farming as the harvest

starts as well. we machinery and farming as the harvest starts as well-— starts as well. we wish you and your team the best _ starts as well. we wish you and your team the best of _ starts as well. we wish you and your team the best of luck— starts as well. we wish you and your team the best of luck over _ starts as well. we wish you and your team the best of luck over the - starts as well. we wish you and your team the best of luck over the next | team the best of luck over the next few days. thank you for coming on. thank you for coming on. borisjohnson has appealed to energy bosses to help consumers struggling to pay rocketing energy bills. more from our business correspondent theo leggett. in the fridge, just got some bottled water and some i9p pop. dallas still has a roof over her head, but precious little else. the monthly energy bill for her one bedroom flat has gone up from £30 a month to £150. the flat is empty because she's sold most of her possessions to make ends meet and her food cupboards are bare. my flat is empty. ijust don't know how i can possibly make any more adjustments or changes to try to satisfy this gas bill. energy prices for consumers have risen dramatically because the war

in ukraine has restricted imports of gas from russia, pushing up costs across europe. energy bills in the uk are capped by the regulator, 0fgem. but it has to balance protecting consumers with the risk energy providers could go out of business. so bills are expected to go up. last october, a typical family covered by the price cap could expect to pay about £1200 a year for electricity and gas. now it is closer to 2,000. forecasts this week suggested the figure will go up to 3,500 later this year and to more than 1t,000injanuary. the government has already promised to take action by providing discounts worth £400 to households this winter. there will be additional support for the most vulnerable, but campaigners say more is needed. people are terrified, people are already struggling with the cost of living. people are already in debt, in difficult and dangerous situations. they are already eyeing up

the winter that is to come. and people are petrified of what is around the corner. wait and seejust is not an option. there are several things the government could consider doing. among them, it could cut vat on gas and electricity bills. or it could temporarily cut green levies — that's extra money placed on bills to pay for investments in renewable energy. there have been calls to bring annual increases in benefits in early. or it could introduce a so—called "social tariff" with the poorest consumers paying less for energy. the energy retailers would apply a special price — a lower price, say the price we have now back in the summer and say, "that is the price for people on credit, on universal credit. "and the difference between the market price and that has got to be met by the government." today's meeting with energy bosses in downing street was attended by the prime minister.

but major decisions on helping struggling people like dallas are unlikely until his successor has taken over. in the meantime, citizens advice says anyone who is having trouble paying their bills should get in touch with their supplier. theo leggett, bbc news. a&e departments in england had one of their worst months ever injuly, with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted. the latest monthly performance data from nhs england also shows the number of people waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to an all time high. the shadow health secretary, wes streeting has told the bbc the latest figures �*reflect the biggest crisis in nhs history�* . here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. we've got no beds on trauma, no medical beds, no surgical beds. this is what the health service experienced last winter. but today at the height of summer the nhs in england is experiencing similar pressures. there has been no letup at all. from ambulance response times to waits in accident and emergency and

for planned operations, the latest data shows a system under extreme stress. last month, ambulance staff dealt with more than 85,000 of the most serious category 0ne calls, for situations like cardiac arrests and people stopping breathing — the highest on record. 29% of people who attended a&e injuly had to wait more than four hours to be seen — again, the worst performance on record. and the number of patients waiting for planned surgery, like a cataract or knee operation, has once again risen, now standing at more than 6.7 million people. james is now fit and healthy. even training for the great north run. but he is one of those who has faced an agonising wait for an operation. an infection damaged his heart and left him needing a new heart valve. five times the operation was cancelled. eventually he decided to go private, using his wife's health insurance, but it was

an emotionally draining experience. what was it like every time you had your operation cancelled? what went through your head? you get yourself prepped, you are starving yourself, you wake up the next morning, they shave your chest, get you all gowned up, get you on the bed and then the nurse turns up and says, "sorry, it is not happening today. " he sighs. your emotionsjust go. i could feel myself getting more and more poorly as the weeks were going on. at what point are they going to say, "right, we need to get you in, otherwise you will die..." is that going to happen? am i going to die? you just don't know. there are some encouraging signs that the number of people facing the longest waits for planned surgery is coming down. but problems remain with discharging patients, with only four in ten able to leave hospital when they are well enough to do so. and there are warnings the immense pressure emergency services and hospitals are under is becoming a pressing political issue. this is one of the greatest challenges facing any incoming prime minister, particularly as we move towards winter.

almost the minute they take over they will be facing the risks of a really major health and social care winter crisis which will make even now seem like the good old days. the data today paints a picture of a system that is struggling to cope. but behind each of these statistics are personal stories like those of james. dominic hughes, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... an amber extreme heat warning comes into force across large parts of the country for the next four days — a drought appears to be inevitable — there are also warnings of fires. accident and emergency departments in england had one of their worst ever months injuly — with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted. borisjohnson urges energy companies to act in the national interest — and do more to cut rising bills — as he meets energy bosses at downing street.

the ex—girlfriend of ryan giggs has told a court that living with the former footballer during the first covid lockdown was "utter hell". kate greville has accused the former manchester united star of using controlling and coercive behaviour and assaulting her and her sister. mr giggs denies all the charges. 0ur correspondent laura scott is outside manchester crown court. today was a second full day of the cross—examination of kate greville, ryan giggs' ex—girlfriend. she was accused of telling the court lines and are prolifically lying to the police, both of which she denied. she had the lockdown she had to spend with the former manchester united star as a living hell but this was challenged by the defence

counsel who spoke about bike rides he and ryan giggs had gone on. and how the whole of lockdown had been fun. she clearly disagreed. ryan giggs' barrister also accused her of trying to get pregnant after she had decided to leave him, by having unprotected sex with him. it alleged she stopped using contraception without him knowing, which she denies. she did admit to having lied to him about having a cancerous cells that had shown down showing up in a smear test. she said this was to get him off his back so she could have her contraceptive coil removed. the defence said it did make sense to have a baby with what she called a violent individual. she said that is not for the plan was. the issue of the alleged assault on the 1st of november 2020 was also raised and

the court was played on body cam footage of an interview that kate greville had given to police that evening. the defence said that ryan giggs had not head—butted her, he said he obviously had. he said there had been tiny money contact that had resulted from the course of a tussle, he said to her, you have twisted the truth very carefully to try to implicate ryan giggs in crimes he did not commit. kate greville told the court she had told the truth and her evidence has now concluded. a four—year—old girl who died in a gas explosion in thornton heath, south london, has been named by the metropolitan police as sahara salman. an 11—year—old boy and a woman who were also in the property remain in hospital. the explosion will be investigated by a specialist crime unit. the defence secretary ben wallace says the uk will send more weapons to ukraine to help it defend against russia's invasion. mr wallace made announcement

at the copenhagen conference for northern european defence allies of ukraine. president putin would have gambled that, come august, come a few months in, we would have all got bored of the conflict and the international community would have gone off in different directions. well, today is proof of the opposite. we have come out of this meeting with more pledges of finance, more pledges of training, and more pledges of military aid, all designed to help ukraine win, to help ukraine stand up for its sovereignty, and indeed to ensure that president putin's ambitions fail in ukraine, as they rightly should. i think it's incredibly important that people understand that the fighting is still going on and it is still seeing the loss of life of both innocent civilians and indeed military personnel of the ukrainian armed forces, all of whom are fighting bravely on a day to day basis. but it is also the case that russia

are starting to fail in many areas. they have failed so far and are unlikely to ever succeed in occupying ukraine. their invasion has faltered and constantly been re modified to the extent they are really only focusing in parts of the south and in the east. a long, long way away from their three day so—called special operation. three days and now, over 150 days and nearly six months in, with huge significant losses of both equipment and indeed, russian personnel. reuters just reporting that the united states state department is calling for a demilitarised around that nuclear power plant. you will recall there have been attacks on the plant, around the vicinity of the plant, around the vicinity of the plant, around the vicinity of the plant and concerns have been expressed by the un secretary—general the us saying it now supports the calls for a

demilitarised zone around the plant. disney has overtaken netflix into becoming the biggest video streaming. it disney plus in 2019. now the gamble appears to be paying off, as the bbc�*s respondent back reports. on wednesday, walt disney said its streaming service, disney+, had gained 14.4 million new subscribers in the three months tojuly — far higher than had been forecast. most of them came from outside north america. disney now has a total of 221 million subscribers, if you also include its other streaming services, hulu and espn+, surpassing its rival netflix, which has 220.7 million. the numbers suggest that fears of a global slowdown in how much people are willing to spend on video streaming services, particularly when inflation is high, appear overblown. still, given the economic uncertainty, the company

lowered its guidance for how many subscribers it thinks disney+ will have by the end of 2024. it also announced that it was raising the price of its streaming products in the united states, all part of an effort to make its streaming business more profitable. the strong performance stands in stark contrast to some of its rivals. netflix said it lost nearly a million accounts in the second quarter. the number of subscribers to nbcuniversal�*s peacock service stayed flat, while the owners of hbo max and discovery+ recently announced a change in strategy. adding to the good news at walt disney, well, increased spending at its theme parks also helped boost the bottom line. tomorrow we'll be a step closer to finding out which uk town or city will host next year's eurovision song contest. thirteen places have already shown interest — but they'll be whittled down to a shortlist, which will be announced tomorrow. and the final winner will be revealed in the autumn.

(back in vis)eurovision's most recent host was turin, and our correspondent, daniel rosney, has been to hear some of the advice on offer from there. three months ago sam ryder gave an out—of—this—world performance. 183 points. the country that wins normally gets to put on eurovision the following year, but the uncertainty of what the situation will be in ukraine meant it was offered to the bbc instead. a uk city will now take on the role after turin's success this year. 0ur city has been known all over the world. we had an increase of visitors and especially we had a 40% increase of visitors from abroad. turin spent more than £10 million on the event, but officials acknowledge rising costs we're seeing globally would make that more difficult to justify now. could turin host another international event? well, it's actually difficult because of the war in ukraine,

the global economy that is slowing down. it was a positive event, very good vibes, but it will be difficult for every single city in the country. a venue will be needed for at least six weeks before the contest for the production and for the 40 countries who take part to rehearse in. it's a mammoth undertaking for any broadcaster, and the bbc will want to show to the 160 million watching at home that it can put on a show. the competition's evolved from this 1982 edition... good evening, ladies and gentlemen, coming to you from the conference centre at harrogate in yorkshire. now a host city needs an arena that can fit 10,000 people and enough hotels. birmingham was the choice 25 years ago and says it wants it again. hold it down to a dull roar. but the competition from cities like newcastle, liverpool, leeds and glasgow is fierce. and the winner will throw the biggest party in europe. so i live all the days,

like from 6:00am to 3:00am, i guess, it was like venue, party, venue, party. so please do it. for me it was actually being in the pala alpitour venue because, like, being where they are recording something that is going worldwide is an incredible experience. cities on the short list will need to show they have the funds, infrastructure and passion for one of the most watched shows in the world. we'll find out exactly where that will be in the autumn, when a final decision is made. # i want to go...home.# daniel rosney, bbc news, turin. more than 100 e—sports players, representing 20 different nations took part in the inaugural commonwealth championships in birmingham. it was only a test event, but the president of the commonwealth games federation has told the bbc she believes

e—sports will be an official sport in future games. 0ur cyber reporterjoe tidy has this report. and there is your champion. yeah, massive achievement for malaysia... for the players, it didn't matter that this was just the test event. you can see the emotion. haikal is a gold medalist. this is for my country. this is my dream. for five years, i waiting this. the commonwealth e—sports championships had everything you look for in traditional sports. the highs... ..the lows and the rivalries. these two teams are at each other�*s throats. for well—known welsh rocket league player euan ingram, aka tadpole, taking gold here was the perfect end to the 24—year—old's playing career. to represent wales is something i've waited for for a long, long time. it's my final game as a player. i've retired now and to retire on this note is obviously incredible. 100 players from 20 different commonwealth countries travelled to birmingham for the inaugural championships. hey guys, we're representing jamaica.

team australia. india. representing south africa. team england. singapore. really well played from singapore. i'm just really, really happy it's moving to something so, so much greater and it's gaining its reputation, it's gaining a bigger name and people are recognising e—sports as, like, actual sports. medals were contested by male and female teams in dota2, rocket league and efootball — three games with hundreds of millions of players and fans the world over. audiences online and in the arena weren't huge, but this was about testing out the format and how to put on a commonwealth event like no other. and the president was very enthusiastic. there are a lot of young people who don't play sport per se out in the playing field or something like that, but they are playing sport on a games console and there's a lot of those people we need to capture. we think this is a place for our young people. going forward, this will be a sport within the games. that's my personal opinion. so it seems highly likely that full

commonwealth medals will be contested in e—sports at the next games, with potential inclusion as early as next year — at the youth games in trinidad and tobago. 0fficials seem convinced that e—sports have a place in the biggest sporting events. but what about the general public? lots of people play them as much as people like play in outdoor sports, as well. so i guess it's a skill, isn't it? for me, it's not a sport. it's not the same thing. provided we keep the physical part of the game in the commonwealth games, i think, yeah, why not? even for some of the players, the experience of being compared to commonwealth athletes has been odd. i would consider myself an athlete, but not in the same regard as the actual professional athletes. i would probably say an e—athlete. so although e—sports inclusion is closer than ever, the idea will definitely take some getting used to. joe tidy, bbc news, in birmingham.

let's find out about the weather. tit has been particularly hard to cross a part of southern england, temperatures are soaring elsewhere under skies like this. another similar day tomorrow with just one or two exceptions, just a reminder that the met 0ffice amber warning for extreme heat is in force and east wales, all the way through to sunday, the heatwave will intensify over the next couple of days but if you take a look at what has been happening today, you will notice the biggest exception away from that otherwise any story, lots of cloud in the north and west of scotland outbreaks of rain which will continue through this evening and overnight becoming light and patchy at times. turning a little bit dry. some mist and fog developing on the eastern coast, that will linger tomorrow for some of you, but with days getting warm at the nights are also getting warm as well. home is warming up it will come more and comes to will to sleep. a blue skies for many, some

cloud in the north and east. such images here probably high teens, low 20s. inland temperatures into the high 20s, may be mid 30s across parts of england.

hello, this is bbc news. i'm christian fraser. the headlines: an amber extreme heat warning comes into force across large parts of the country for the next four days. are also warnings of fires. accident and emergency departments in england had one of their worst ever months injuly — with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted. borisjohnson urges energy companies to act in the national interest and do more to cut rising bills, as he meets energy bosses at downing street. the police watchdog says forces in england and wales are failing victims of burglaries, robberies and theft — with too few suspects being charged.

and the crisis of local swimming pools — the bbc finds more than 60 have closed across the uk in the past 3 years. sport — and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's paul scott. hello, paul. hi, good evening, christian. eve muirhead says the decision to call time on her career was the toughest of her life. the gb curling skip guided the british women's team to gold at this year's beijing winter olympics. it was her fourth games, having first led the team at vancouver in 2010, but she has today announced her retirement from the sport. i made the decision and i stuck with it. a lot of time, it was like, are you sure you are doing the right thing? and, yeah, i knewi you sure you are doing the right thing? and, yeah, i knew i was. someone said to me several years

back you will know any time is right, when you want to stop, and i remember waking up one day and thinking, do you know what? i think it is time. i spoke to my mum and dad, i spoke to close friends, and it wasn't long until i decided that this definitely was the right time. in the men's hundred, 0val invincibles are giving chase in their match with northern superchargers at the 0val. we can dip into some live pictures. the visitors made 157—7 in their innings, after being put in to bat. captain faf du plessis was caught off the bowling of hilton cartwright for nine. adam lyth went on to make 79. in reply, as you can see, 49 more runs are needed with 27 balls left, and you can watch the run chase over on bbc two right now. the women's hundred begins later with the same fixture, live on bbc two from 6pm. eight women's matches will be shown live on bbc tv and iplayer, including the final,

while every match will also be live on bbc radio. invincibles bowler mady villiers says it's a great time to be involved in women's sport. if you look at the lionesses and the euros, that was just off the scale, and women's sport in general is just going through the roof. so, you, there has been a shift, but there still a long way to go, and hopefully this year, we can make more steps in doing that. another multi—sport event is under way. following the commonwealth games and the world athletics championships, it's now the european championships taking centre stage. over the next 11 days, medals will be won across nine different sports. charlotte worthington, britain's reigning world champion in freestyle bmx, is safely through the heats in women's park, thanks to a brilliant second run that saw her qualify top of the group.

britain's rowers had a disappointing olympics in tokyo last summer — taking only two medals — but will be hoping to repeat their 2021 european success, when they topped the medals table with 12 in total, including five golds. the men's four won their heat earlier. raheem sterling says he was growing concerned about his lack of football at manchester city and that was a deciding factor in his decision to sign for chelsea. the 27—year—old has moved back to the capital, after spending more than a decade in the north west. despite winning four premier league titles, sterling made the £47.5 million switch because of fears that his career at city could stall. asa as a person, you always strive to achieve stuff. ijust as a person, you always strive to achieve stuff. i just felt as a person, you always strive to achieve stuff. ijust felt my as a person, you always strive to achieve stuff. i just felt my time at city was getting it on playing time, for different reasons, and it was not one where i could afford to waste more time, because when i look

backin waste more time, because when i look back in the future, i never wanted to look back and see a rising and a decline, so i wanted to keep that same level, and that is why the decision to be made. that's all the sport for now. more sport on the website if you need it. let's talk about energy. what about blackouts? let's talk to mark nelson. welcome to the programme. i was reading a report in which she reported this week about the rolling blackouts in south africa, where they have what's called load shedding. what is load shedding and

how did they organise a shortage of electricity? a, how did they organise a shortage of electrici ? �* , ., . ., electricity? a blackout, we often use that to _ electricity? a blackout, we often use that to mean _ electricity? a blackout, we often use that to mean the _ electricity? a blackout, we often use that to mean the power- electricity? a blackout, we often. use that to mean the power going electricity? a blackout, we often - use that to mean the power going out stub load shedding is a type of blackout where you are planning in advance, you know the grid operator cannot handle the amount of energy thatis cannot handle the amount of energy that is going to be demanded and they have to choose who gets it and who does not. the they have to choose who gets it and who does not-— they have to choose who gets it and who does not. the government says it is stress testing _ who does not. the government says it is stress testing the _ who does not. the government says it is stress testing the system _ who does not. the government says it is stress testing the system at - who does not. the government says it is stress testing the system at the - is stress testing the system at the moment, and reports of blackouts this winter are at this moment in time, we don't know whether that will be the case, but let's suppose there is an energy shortage, there is a gas crisis in europe. how is that going to change peoples behaviour?— that going to change peoples behaviour? , behaviour? there might be fewer --eole behaviour? there might be fewer people whose — behaviour? there might be fewer people whose behaviour- behaviour? there might be fewer people whose behaviour can - behaviour? there might be fewer. people whose behaviour can change because we have learned to live with a decent amount of heat and also access to emergency services and telecommand case and that rely on energy, so people are going to need to learn to go without, and anyone who has been camping or has been in

developing countries and is gone without some basic services, it'll be kind of like that, but hopefully, hopefully, if the weather co—operates and there is no gas crisis orjeep illegal crisis, it'll just be good preparation for your next camping trip —— geopolitical. people charging their phones ahead of time, taking quicker showers, putting the boiler on, those kind of things. it all sounds rather grim but if you don't mind me saying. the kind of things we read about happening in the 1970s. is there a real prospect of that happening across europe?— real prospect of that happening across euroe? . , ., ., �* across europe? certainly. you don't “ust aet across europe? certainly. you don't just get electricity, _ across europe? certainly. you don't just get electricity, you _ across europe? certainly. you don't just get electricity, you have - across europe? certainly. you don't just get electricity, you have to - just get electricity, you have to build the power plants, you have to get the fuel supplies, build the connections but make sure you have enough for yourself and that just was not done across europe. every country assumed they would be always able to get power from other countries, other countries made the same assumption, everybody started tripping out the power plants to give you alternatives of your gas supply, or if there's a big pressure

bubble still across the continent. what you're saying is, as things get tighter in the winter, we are going to see countries hoarding energy, according electricity, hoarding gas? 0nly according electricity, hoarding gas? only the ones that have it. countries that don't have their own reliable generation or own hydro won't be able to hoard that, so i think the problem the uk is in his a lot of the energy future was based on this option a perfect and continuing interchange from other countries with more supplies. t5 it countries with more supplies. is it ossible countries with more supplies. is it possible that _ countries with more supplies. is it possible that with all that in mind, when i was talking about hoarding, i was wondering if there would be a knock on effect into neighbouring countries. is it possible in that circumstance to plan the load shedding? do you start to alternate through different parts of the grid? places will know where they are going to go without electricity? tt going to go without electricity? tit depends on how ready the grid and

the government is to implement load shedding. grid operators are absolute professionals in every country, with a functioning electricity grid. they will have plan straightaway. i imagine the government want to know those plans and the priorities. a lot of people in the government are ruut going to learn rapidly about energy in the next few years —— very rapidly. aren't we all? mark nelson, thank you for your time. most victims of burglary, robbery and theft in england and wales are not getting the justice they deserve, according to a report by the police watchdog. the chief inspector of constabulary says too many offenders remain at liberty and warns that the public could lose confidence in policing, if forces don't improve. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. physically, where the car was, they were able to creep down the side of the car without triggering the camera. stefan borson's car was brazenly stolen from outside his london home.

he was inside the house at the time and knew immediately it had gone. although his camera missed most of the crime, there was one picture for police to work from and the street was full of cctv, and the car had a tracker. that was on february 14th. i received, two days later, a letter dated the 15th of february. but as this letter shows, the police closed the case within 24 hours without any investigation. they hadn't been around, they hadn't called. they, as far as i know, they hadn't done a kind of site visit without me being aware. i think it's unlikely that they would have done that without at least knocking on the door. so i'm not sure on what basis they could have said that they'd investigated all potential leads. and this is not a cheap car that we're talking about. you know, this car had a retail value of around about £82,000. today the inspectorate of constabulary has highlighted the sometimes dire police response in england and wales to burglary,

robbery and theft, saying most victims are left withoutjustice and that the low number of people being charged is unacceptable. only 4.2% of reported thefts results in a charge. people see these offences happening. they know about them. the neighbours tell them about them. policing, to maintain confidence and trust, has got to be seen to be doing something about them. and at the moment, with the low charge rates that we are seeing, the public, i'm sure, do not have that perception. the inspectors say officers should try to attend all burglaries. call handlers should remind people not to tidy up before police officers have come round and detectives should update victims on their cases. they said that if police forces don't treat crimes like burglary as the intrusive and distressing experiences that they are, they risk losing the confidence of the public. daniel sandford, bbc news.

more now on a&e departments in england. a&e departments in england had one of their worst months ever injuly, with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 let's talk now to estaphanie dunn — north west of england regional director for the royal college of nursing. welcome to the programme. do these statistics we have seen today for july represent what you see day today? july represent what you see day toda ? , . ,., july represent what you see day toda ? , .~ ., july represent what you see day toda? , .~ ., �* july represent what you see day toda? , . ., �*, today? very much so. what we've seen for a lona today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time — today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time now _ today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time now is _ today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time now is a _ today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time now is a growing - today? very much so. what we've seen for a long time now is a growing and i for a long time now is a growing and sustained pressure on the a&e departments, on hospitals in general, but we're finding is there more people in hospital who are medically fit to be discharged but are unable to go into a home or a care home because of a lack of staff to support a package of care or to deliver care in the care home or their own home. it is absently desperate. we have people sitting on ambulances, unable to be off—loaded

because the a&e apartment is completely full to capacity, beyond what staffing is able to provide —— absolutely desperate. they are lining up corridors, they are waiting 12, 13 hours. it is very, very difficult.— waiting 12, 13 hours. it is very, very difficult. our hospitals, from the pictures _ very difficult. our hospitals, from the pictures you _ very difficult. our hospitals, from the pictures you are _ very difficult. our hospitals, from the pictures you are painting - very difficult. our hospitals, from the pictures you are painting are l the pictures you are painting are full, and it is because they don't have beds, they have the least amount of beds per per head. is it structural? if you build more self —— more hospitals, does it solve the problem? t -- more hospitals, does it solve the roblem? ~ , -- more hospitals, does it solve the roblem? ~' , ., problem? i think it is more complicated _ problem? i think it is more complicated than _ problem? i think it is more complicated than that. - problem? i think it is more complicated than that. we | problem? i think it is more - complicated than that. we saw covid deal a blow to the care sector and we have is a workplace crisis in the nhs and in the social care independent sector, so actually being able to discharge people from hospital into a care home is becoming more challenging, because

of the lack of staff, the lack of social workers to do care, care assessments, the lack of staff to provide home care for people going home into their own houses and just need that support, there is a massive workforce crisis across health and care that the ministers really need to take some serious note of. . , , , ., note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors — note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors and _ note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors and nurses _ note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors and nurses to _ note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors and nurses to see - note of. yeah, it must be very hard for doctors and nurses to see this l for doctors and nurses to see this massive amount of people waiting. do staff feel overwhelmed? stan amount of people waiting. do staff feel overwhelmed?— feel overwhelmed? staff are incredibly — feel overwhelmed? staff are incredibly overwhelmed, - feel overwhelmed? staff are - incredibly overwhelmed, because they don't go to work to provide the bare minimum, they go to work to provide the best they can and to improve outcomes to patients and improve risk, but when you have people lining up in corridors, people waiting for 13 hours but we have got influences were the paramedics are not able to off—load the patients so they can get care —— we have

ambulances... itjust makes the thing more intense, more and more stressful, and behind a lot of that, we know there are people at home who dial 999 and are waiting for that ambulance that have got those people on board that cannot off—load into the hospital, so staff are getting it in the sense that the call handlers, the paramedics are getting the frustration and anxiety, leveled at them, our doctors and nurses are really struggling just to keep things afloat. it is hard work. t things afloat. it is hard work. i can see that, and i think a lot of people have sympathy for that. the government would say, look, the antigen is getting huge sums of money through the health and social care levy, and that is new money coming into the service, but that is not touching the sides —— the nhs is. where do you think the reform

should be? we is. where do you think the reform should be?— is. where do you think the reform should be? ~ . ., should be? we are in the middle of another reform, _ should be? we are in the middle of another reform, are _ should be? we are in the middle of another reform, are we _ should be? we are in the middle of another reform, are we not, - should be? we are in the middle of another reform, are we not, that i should be? we are in the middle of. another reform, are we not, that has not even got off the starting blocks? but there are real issues about looking at the whole system, how do you make sure that we are in a position to discharge those people who are medically fit, how do we support social care to take some of these people back as temporary or permanent residents? how do we avoid people coming into hospital in the first instance, if some of the care can be provided and managed within the care home sector or in their own homes? i think it requires some real attention to that, building more hospital beds, does not actually solve the problem, because we know that we are short of nursing staff at a hospital bed is just a that we are short of nursing staff at a hospital bed isjust a piece that we are short of nursing staff at a hospital bed is just a piece of furniture without a nurse or nursing team around to care for people in those beds. patients deserve better than this nursing and medical staff

deserve better than this, along with their other clinical colleagues, but fundamentally the ministers need to look at the decisions they are making about a whole host of things, to make sure that we recruit more people back into the profession, and the ones we recruit, we retain. estephanie dunn, from the royal couege estephanie dunn, from the royal college of nursing, thank you for your time. college of nursing, thank you for our time. . ~ college of nursing, thank you for our time. ., ,, ,., the headlines on bbc news. an amber extreme heat warning comes into force across large parts of the country for the next four days — a drought appears to be inevitable and there are also warnings of fires. accident and emergency departments in england had one of their worst ever months injuly — with record numbers of patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted. borisjohnson urges energy companies to act in the national interest — and do more to cut rising bills — as he meets energy bosses at downing street.

with all this hot weather, the wildfires are sweeping across southwest france. they have forced more than 10,000 people from their homes and scorched 62 square kilometres. the gironde region is struggling with so—called "zombie fires" — last month's blazes reigniting because of record temperatures and drought. france has sustained nearly six times more fire damage in 2022 than it has in any year since 2006. over 570 square kilometres have gone up in flames. the gironde wildfire is one of many that have broken out across europe this summer, triggered by heatwaves that have baked the continent and brought record temperatures. earlier, our correspondent mark lowen gave us the latest update on the situation in france and elsewhere in europe. france is certainly feeling the impact of its fourth successive heatwave this year, with temperatures edging towards 40 degrees in the next couple of days. there are also pretty strong winds and that, of course, combined with the worst drought ever recorded in france, that has left the soil on the ground tinder dry, is helping to fan the flames

of a pretty serious forest fire that is still raging in the south—west of the country, which has destroyed almost 7,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. president macron has said five eu countries have now sent help to try to battle those flames. the government says this specific fire could have actually been ignited by arson, but officials are saying in this year alone, the area of france burned by forest fires is almost six times larger than average. it is notjust here in france, of course. in portugal, the authorities there say more than 10,000 hectares have been destroyed by forest fires that are still raging. there are forest fires in 12 regions of spain as well, which is having an effect on food production, of course. so, in spain, they are saying the olive harvest this year could drop by half, which could push up the price of olive oil. in italy, the po river in the north of the country is at its lowest for 70 years, and that area in the po valley, that produces a third of all italian food, so that is helping to push up the price also of food production, and all of this worsening the global food crisis that the world

is already linked to —— food crisis that the world is already facing, linked to the war in ukraine. and the grim reality is that, of course, as our climate continues to heat and get worse, these events are no longer just freak occurrences, they are becoming more common and progressively worse. yeah, such widespread drought across europe at the moment, mark lowen there in paris. new research by the bbc has discovered more than one in six local authorities across the uk has lost at least one public swimming pool in the past three years. some have closed permanently, others are shut temporarily because of staffing, funding or repair problems, such as shortages of chlorine. in some towns, there's no public pool at all. emily unia reports. learning life—saving skills on the beach. great in fine weather, but in winter, the water's too cold. and falmouth now has no public swimming pool. we're surrounded by water. we should, you know, it's really critical in cornwall that kids can learn to swim,

because a, obviously in terms of future lifeguards, but, b, just having the confidence and knowing what to do in the water is so critical. i was tiny when i started swimming. and it used to be my favourite place to go for swimming. so it means a lot to me to have a swimming pool nearby. it's quite a shame because it's- quite a big part of our community. and for people who can't swim i in the ocean, because of maybe the waves, it's quite sad. if you're not safe in the water, maybe you could drown. do you like swimming? yeah. now you can't go. this group of disabled swimmers are making do with other activities, but they miss the falmouth pool. and alternatives are too far away or too expensive. well, it's good exercise, like, jumping around in the pool. i think it's a shame, i really do. i know how much it meant to them. i know. you know, the staff as well would come back and say, "oh, "they had a brilliant time today. "so—and—so, you wouldn't believe

what he's done, what she's done." and itjust became part of what we did. and i don't think they should lose it. this is falmouth's ships and castles leisure centre. it closed permanently in march, and it's not the only example. the bbc asked all the councils across the uk how many sites offering public swimming there were in march 2019, and how many there were in march this year. more than one in six local authorities had lost a pool. some were shut permanently, some temporarily. overall, 56 local authorities in the uk lost access to at least one public pool since 2019. it's a familiar story around the country, from eastleigh and portsmouth, to the wirral to runcorn. i remember meeting parents who'd lost children and... devastating. absolutely heartbreaking. former 0lympian greg whyte, like many involved in swimming, is shocked. the closure of swimming pools is an absolute health and welfare disaster.

one person drowns every 20 hours in the uk, so actually learning to swim, which is just one element of swimming pools, is absolutely fundamental. and of course the removal of swimming will reduce physical activity in an already poorly active population. the government said it's provided £1 billion of public money to ensure the survival of the grassroots, professional sport and leisure sectors. and there is sometimes hope. so this is it. this is our 25 metre training pool. wadebridge pool was threatened with closure, but the community are about to take it over. it's absolutely amazing. i'm really, really excited that it's genuinely going to be a centre that helps the whole community. it's a success story campaigners across the country would love to repeat. emily unia, bbc news in wadebridge in cornwall. i'm joined now by annalize butler, a swimming instructor

and the founder of black 0wned swim school. welcome. i think everybody remembers where they learn to swim. it is such an important part of your childhood in such an important part of the community. tt in such an important part of the community-— in such an important part of the community. it is, and a lot of the time, community. it is, and a lot of the time. we've _ community. it is, and a lot of the time, we've been _ community. it is, and a lot of the time, we've been talking - community. it is, and a lot of the time, we've been talking about i community. it is, and a lot of the i time, we've been talking about the access to lessons in the school swimming curriculum being reduced and children not being swimming able to learn to swim —— able to learn to swim... they don't see the benefits... t learn to swim... they don't see the benefits- - -— benefits... i suppose there's a knock on _ benefits... i suppose there's a knock on effect _ benefits... i suppose there's a knock on effect to _ benefits... i suppose there's a knock on effect to this. - benefits... i suppose there's a knock on effect to this. as - benefits... i suppose there's a knock on effect to this. as you close april, the demands on other pools in the area becomes that much greater, such that you cannot get swimming time for people who really need it. ., ., , ,, . swimming time for people who really needit. ., ., , �*, need it. from our perspective, it's alwa s need it. from our perspective, it's always been _ need it. from our perspective, it's always been difficult _ need it. from our perspective, it's always been difficult because - need it. from our perspective, it's always been difficult because we l always been difficult because we don't sit within the core audience, as is been described. in most cases, we are now having to look at what

other opportunities there are two other opportunities there are two other spaces or even go privately, and this is where we are starting to look at, what sort of changes are there, what availabilities are there? working with organisations that are looking to give a chance for one black 0wned swim school to open. for one black owned swim school to 0 en. , . for one black owned swim school to oen. , . , , open. public leisure facilities artist personally _ open. public leisure facilities artist personally relied - open. public leisure facilities artist personally relied on i open. public leisure facilities artist personally relied on on open. public leisure facilities - artist personally relied on on those on lower incomes. do you see this as a release valve for many families who cannot take their children away, do not have the money to head off to the seaside or to private swimming pools, that sort of thing? t the seaside or to private swimming pools, that sort of thing?— pools, that sort of thing? i think it is important _ pools, that sort of thing? i think it is important have _ pools, that sort of thing? i think it is important have local- pools, that sort of thing? i think i it is important have local resources within the community that service the peoples needs. in some places, only two pools exist for the population of about quarter of a million people, in other boroughs, you might have six or seven, it depends on the demographics in the

area. if you're talking about low income, that is not the owners of people don't swim, there is also an issue of the value of the lessons, the type of education, the value of the swimming teachers as well, and having access to things that are quite consistent. find having access to things that are quite consistent.— quite consistent. and we talked about the health _ quite consistent. and we talked about the health and _ quite consistent. and we talked about the health and welfare i quite consistent. and we talked - about the health and welfare issues in our report there. within the black immunity, proportionately, what is the level of swimming —— community? what is the level of swimming -- community?— what is the level of swimming -- community? their statistics at the moment showing _ community? their statistics at the moment showing the _ community? their statistics at the moment showing the high-risk- moment showing the high—risk community at risk of drowning anywhere in the uk, it shows the community has not had accessible to their things based on gender, sexuality, age and so on, but we have never seen this space, at which case, we're looking at, what other options we do? what can i do as a person who trains up swimming teachers, providesjobs, provides

access for life—saving skills and provides access to give important spaces where people feel, people and services that they go cover will getting? services that they go cover will caettin ? . services that they go cover will getting?- at _ services that they go cover will getting?- at this - services that they go cover will| getting?- at this moment services that they go cover will getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going _ getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going to _ getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going to be _ getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going to be a _ getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going to be a big _ getting? yeah. at this moment looks like it is going to be a big change in the private sector, because the scale of things, no matter how many schools are out there, we are not seeing the changes. shah schools are out there, we are not seeing the changes. an important issue to so _ seeing the changes. an important issue to so many _ seeing the changes. an important issue to so many people - seeing the changes. an important issue to so many people and - seeing the changes. an important issue to so many people and their communities. annalize butler, thank you. reeta chakrabarti will be here with the news at six. for now, let's get the news at six. for now, let's get the weather with matt taylor. this shot was captured a short while ago in west sussex, and we are going to push the temperatures up a degree or two in the next few days. the blue skies in west sussex were repeated across much of, in fact, all of england, northern ireland, wales and northern ireland. —— scotland and.

some drier moments. a bit more fog developing across northern ireland tonight and potentially crossed eastern england, like last night, but the nights are not cooling down, temperatures still down into single figures across rural parts of scotland. as we go into tomorrow, under that met office and rewarding for extreme heat, all the way until sunday, across much of england and eastern wales. —— amber warning. blue skies for many once again as we go through friday, low cloud, mist and fog gradually clearing. this is where temperatures will be held back by the fact we are going to see the mist and low cloud pushed its way in at times. still on the temperatures in the mid teens across parts of northern scotland, low 20s through eastern england. we could get up to 35, 36 through parts of the midlands as we head through friday and 26 in parts of scotland and northern ireland as well. as we go through into saturday, going to have the same sort of areas affected by mist

and low cloud across the north and east of scotland, northeast england, some patchy rain and drizzle around as well. most places will be under blue skies, mist and fog clearing, and will be another hot day, temperatures lifting up quite markedly. the picture has gone, but temperatures lifting to 35, 36 on saturday. if you are looking for rain, it will be on its way for some. with that, more cloud around, temperatures still dropping, still potentially in their 30s on sunday, but to the start of next week, look at those symbols. i think gardeners will be happy with that. but it won't be for everyone. some places will stay dry. reeta chakrabarti has the bbc news at six next.

today at six. a four—day extreme heat warning comes into effect over parts of the uk with temperatures forecast to hit 37 degrees in some places. the tinder—dry land has led to wildfires near london. and a warning of an exceptional risk of blazes spreading in many places. last august in the first week we attended 42 grassland fires in london. this year, for the first week in august we've attended 340, so an eightfold increase. as the heat causes river levels to fall, a rescue mission to retrieve fish from the river mole in surrey. we'll be looking at the unfolding effects of climate change here and globally. also on the programme: a meeting in downing st with energy bosses — but it provides no solution yet

for households struggling with soaring bills.