drought is declared in many parts of england — after the driestjuly in 50 years. the public and businesses are urged to use water wisely and the announcement gives water companies more power to restrict supplies. this is an exceptional summer and we can all think about how we use our water. when you turn on a tap, have a shower, that water is coming from the environment, from rivers like here. there's extreme heat elsewhere in europe too — firefighters are tackling huge blazes in france, and rivers are drying up in germany. we'll have the latest on the measures here, and find out how other countries are coping with the also this lunchtime: the economy shrank by 0.1%

in the three months tojune — with forecasters warning recession is still likely later in the year. 7,000 extra hospital beds this winter, including in pop—up sites — the nhs in england unveils its plans to cope with expected pressures. more chaos for rail passengers — train drivers prepare to strike tomorrow on nine lines across the country. # up in space, man... and, the shortlist is announced for hosting next year's eurovision song contest — seven uk cities are in the running. and coming up on the bbc news channel: britain's rowers overcome problems in the quad sculls at the european championships to reach the medalfinal in munich.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. a drought has been declared in parts of england, after the driestjuly on record in some areas of the country. it means water companies can announce stricter measures to conserve supplies, and it comes as yorkshire water became the latest to announce a hosepipe ban, in the wake of low rainfall and high temperatures. an extreme heat amber warning from the met office is currently in place for central and southern england and parts of wales — which means there are possible impacts on health, transport and infrastructure. 0ur wales correpondent, tomos morgan, reports from barry. a blaze in sussex. the grass

scorched in essex. and in durham, rare footage of a dust devil, essentially a small tornado of dust, another consequence of the heat. this extraordinary period of dry weather in which some areas of the uk have gone over a0 days without rain has made some parts of the land bone dry, dead and at serious risk of fires and now with several reservoirs at record lows, a drought has been officially declared. this is now moving — has been officially declared. ti 3 is now moving beyond your has been officially declared. ti 1 is now moving beyond your normal dry summer into something where water is scarce. water supplies are safe for everyone here at home but it means there is not enough water for the environment, farming and people at home. , , ., home. scientists say we need above averaue home. scientists say we need above average rainfall— home. scientists say we need above average rainfall in _ home. scientists say we need above average rainfall in september- home. scientists say we need above average rainfall in september to - home. scientists say we need above average rainfall in september to get back to normal levels and yet the met office is predicting warm weather for the next three months. for farmers the implications of this period have been devastating. the cro -s we period have been devastating. tue: crops we can't period have been devastating. tte: crops we can't irrigate are the ones

we are concerned about. because we have utilised all our water, we have no ability to irrigate sugar beet, maize, so we are estimating that we will see a yield reduction of about 50%. ., ,., ., will see a yield reduction of about 50%. ., ., , will see a yield reduction of about 50%. ., ., , ., 50%. for some of us across england and wales. — 50%. for some of us across england and wales, hosepipe _ 50%. for some of us across england and wales, hosepipe bans _ 50%. for some of us across england and wales, hosepipe bans have - 50%. for some of us across englandl and wales, hosepipe bans have been announced as a way of restricting a less economic use of water. southern water introduce the restriction a week ago whilst south east water start today. welsh water's ban will come into force on the 19th with yorkshire water and thames water within weeks. yet with all these warnings and restrictions, many are still making the most of this beautiful weather, just like here on barry island in south wales. after a period of restrictions on hospitality, due to covid, this warm weather is a blessing for those operating here.— operating here. barry island is still pepular. _ operating here. barry island is still popular, it's _ operating here. barry island is still popular, it's got - operating here. barry island is still popular, it's got a - operating here. barry island is. still popular, it's got a beautiful beach and people still flock to the seaside. it is a lot cooler here

than in land, so it's a win here. an than in land, so it's a win here. an amberwarning forwarm than in land, so it's a win here. an amber warning for warm weather remains in place until sunday across parts of wales and england. the last chance to enjoy the sun responsibly perhaps before even further measures are introduced across the country. tomos morgan, bbc news, barry island. morrisons has become the latest supermarket to stop selling disposable barbeques in light of the high temperatures. itjoins other supermarket chains, including sainsbury�*s and tesco, which have dropped the product. fire services are warning of "tinderbox conditions" and have asked people not to use barbecues in high risk places, such as balconies and on dry grass, after a steep increase in the number of call—outs. let's get more now on the declaration of a drought in parts of england. navteonhal is in nottingham. tell us more about the advice for

people in light of all of this. this news has not — people in light of all of this. this news has not come _ people in light of all of this. tt 1 news has not come as a surprise, there has been speculation that a drought will be declared in parts of england for many days now. but what is significant is the scale, the number of places that it covers. the advice from the environment agency who i have been speaking to has been notjust who i have been speaking to has been not just to use who i have been speaking to has been notjust to use water wisely but to think about where that water is coming from, from places like here, the river trent, and every time it is used it is also used by farmers, businesses. 0n is used it is also used by farmers, businesses. on top of that there may not be a hosepipe ban yet in your area but that doesn't mean you should continue using your hosepipe as you normally would. think about whether you can be more proactive in how you can tell you use. a concern is that for weeks upon weeks we have had hot, dry weather and we need weeks upon weeks of wet weather in order to counteract that, notjust

weeks upon weeks of wet weather in order to counteract that, not just a few days of thundery showers which we are expecting next week. thank ou. the uk is not alone in experiencing extreme heat — a number of european countries have seen record temperatures, with deadly wildfires and droughts across the continent. in a moment we'll speak with our berlin correspondent jenny hill, who's by the river rhine for us this lunchtime, but first, our europe correspondent bethany bell is in southwest france near bordeaux. we have been seeing horrendous images here of some of the fires that have been affecting france. yes, we are very, very close to the zone where some of those fires are blazing right now. we hear firefighters from germany and as far away as romania arriving to help the thousand or more french firefighters who have been struggling to bring these huge blazes under control. i

spoke a short time ago to a french officialfrom the french fire brigade and she said this fire was exceptional. she said it made you feel smaller when you thought about the power of nature and in some areas, the fire has been burning underground in the pete rich soil sincejuly when there was another enormous fire here. this is a really difficult situation for the emergency services here and it's another very hot day.— emergency services here and it's another very hot day. bethany bell, thank ou. another very hot day. bethany bell, thank you. let's _ another very hot day. bethany bell, thank you. let's head _ another very hot day. bethany bell, thank you. let's head to _ another very hot day. bethany bell, thank you. let's head to germany l another very hot day. bethany bell, | thank you. let's head to germany as well and jenny hill, goodness, we canjust see how well and jenny hill, goodness, we can just see how dry that is where you are. can just see how dry that is where ou are. , , , , you are. yes, this is the riverbed ofthe you are. yes, this is the riverbed of the mighty — you are. yes, this is the riverbed of the mighty river _ you are. yes, this is the riverbed of the mighty river rhine. - you are. yes, this is the riverbed of the mighty river rhine. take l you are. yes, this is the riverbed of the mighty river rhine. take a look at it. we should be underwater right now, instead you can see how dry and arid this particular part of

the river rhine has become. the river levels have dropped so far here that they have exposed an old stone footbridge. you can see people picking their way across it to the island which was previously now only accessible by boat. a lot of those people enjoying the novelty of the new landscape but there is serious concern here. that's because this is one of europe's great working rivers. goods go up and down this rivers. goods go up and down this river and we have seen barges here today, just a few making their way slowly through the remaining water channel that is left there, to the factories, the industrial complexes, fetching and carrying raw materials and manufactured products. the levels are now so low that some of those barges simply cannot get through. the people who run the barges are telling us they having to lighten the cargo in order to make sure vessels sit high up in the water. they are keeping a close eye on the forecast which is that levels will drop further. if that happens, many of those barges will not be

able to get through, perhaps even this whole section may become completely impossible.- this whole section may become completely impossible. let's assess everything we have heard with our climate data justin rowlatt. drought, hosepipe and, more to come quickly and yes. they have been forecasting for many years, scientists, this is the weather they were expecting. they say heatwaves like the one we are experiencing here and we saw so vividly in jenny's report in europe and elsewhere around the world are becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of climate change. yes, we should expect more weather like this and we should in the future expect the government to be announcing more droughts because climate change means we are going to get hotter, drier weather. thank you. the uk economy shrank by 0.1% between april and june, according to new figures —

a smaller contraction than many economists had predicted. it compares to an increase of 0.8% in the first three months of the year. the bank of england has forecast the uk will fall into recession in the coming months, and that the downturn will last for the whole of next year. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity, reports. in windermere in the lake district, the lakes provide some respite from the heat. it is only the economic climate that is cooling down. for some, coming here is a way of spending less and saving more. one reason the economy is shrinking. we don't go as far as we used to go now, just because of the juice problem. you know what i mean — the petrol and the diesel. we are doing more of this — caravanning, camping, that sort of thing. we would normally be going across to europe a couple of times a year. we have not done that for two and a half years because of the pandemic. i can see usjust sticking to doing this sort of thing from now on. it is easier, it is cheaper. all sectors of the economy shrank injune, with the value of all goods and services,

also known as gross domestic product, down by 0.6%. in travel and tour operators, business was down 6.2%. this is what the economy looks like over the last 15 years. over on the left, you can see the global financial crisis, that big dip. then you get this great big bungee jumping that the economy does around the time of the lockdowns in 2020. by comparison, the slow and downturn now is small, it is onlyjust starting. one big reason for it is the fall in consumer spending. consumer—facing services like shops and restaurants here in ilfracombe in north devon, are a.9% down on where they were pre—pandemic. at the prince of wales pub, just up the road from the harbour, michelle lang is taking on as many extra shifts as possible to support her and her daughter. but when most tourists go home this winter, there will be no extra shifts, and she does not think a tax cut will make much difference to her. it is obvious people cannot afford all these bills, this extra money, it's just not there.

you are not earning enough to pay it all. so i don't know, really. they can't expect people to pay it if they are not earning enough money to pay it. the government has lost control of the economy, according to labour, with activity shrinking and inflation skyrocketing. this morning, the prime minister acknowledged the support for households already on offer wasn't enough. there is more money coming, more money coming, anyway, as a result of the decisions we have taken. there will be further help coming october and in the new year. i think over the medium—term, the future is very bright. so far, that is only a promise of more help in october and january from the current prime minister. the detail of how much help and he gets it is still being left to his successor. andy verity, bbc news. let's get more from our business editor, simonjack, in chester.

are you sensing any shift in the narrative here from politicians on that key issue of energy bills? t that key issue of energy bills? i really am. i am here that key issue of energy bills? i really am. lam here in that key issue of energy bills? i really am. i am here in chester and this morning i was talking to the chancellor of exchequer nadim zahawi at the airbus factory in north wales and a couple of things struck me. you will remember he is a big member of the team liz truss who so far have prioritised tax cuts over what she has previously called hand—outs in terms of direct support. today hand—outs was replaced with help and he said we will look into the winter to provide more support in october and then injanuary. growing realisation that more help will be needed for consumers who are really terrified about what is coming this winter. 0n the economic picture, as andy was saying, the economy hasn't fallen off a cliff, it has shrunk by 0.1% but the fact remains businesses

are seeing their costs soar, they are seeing their costs soar, they are seeing the spending power of their consumers eroded by inflation, by these extraordinary energy price rises and something will need to be done otherwise we are looking down the barrel of a potential recession which the bank of england is predicting, not right now but time will tell. we are not there yet we have one quarter of negative growth, if we get another one in the next three months, that will be a technical recession. but the portents are not good. business costs are soaring, spending power being eroded, consumer confidence being eroded, consumer confidence being sapped, it is a grim outlook at the moment and that is why i think liz truss and the outgoing prime minister are saying that more help will be inevitable if people are to get through this.- help will be inevitable if people are to get through this. thank you. simon jack — are to get through this. thank you. simon jack in _ are to get through this. thank you. simon jack in chester. _ plans have been announced to create the equivalent of 7,000 more nhs hospital beds and to boost staff numbers, as the health service in england prepares for the pressure its expected to face this winter. it follows figures yesterday

which showed one of the worstjuly performances for a&e departments in england. 0ur health reporter katharine da costa joins me now. what is being said about the plans? the nhs in england under immense pressure at the height of summer and nhs leaders are planning for a difficult winter when they expect covid and flu to be in circulation and scientific advisers are warning high numbers of beds might be needed for respiratory patients. the plan has been set out earlier and it includes plans for 7000 beds on top of 90,000 existing beds and a mixture of temporary units, caring for people in their homes in so—called virtual wards. and it will include trying to discharge patients quicker. 0nly a0% were able to leave when fit to do so injuly because of

shortages in social care. the plans to recruit more call handlers for 111 and 9-99x to recruit more call handlers for 111 and 9—99x and the autumn iii and 9—99x and the autumn vaccination campaign for covid and flu and the biggest challenge is having enough staff with efforts to boost recruitment from overseas but that takes time and there are 100,000 vacancies in the nhs. our top story this lunchtime... millions of people face restrictions on their water use as a drought is officially declared across parts of england. it is des two in munich where charlotte worthington is looking to add european gold medal to her 0lympic title. the bmx freestyle final starts injust 0lympic title. the bmx freestyle final starts in just over an 0lympic title. the bmx freestyle final starts injust over an hour. and coming up on the bbc news channel... jack draper is through to a masters 1000 quarterfinalfor the first time in his career. and he could meet fellow briton dan evans in the semifinals of the canadian 0pen.

ukraine's president has accused russia of open nuclear blackmail, as international concern mounts about fighting near the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. volodymyr zelensky urged the world to act immediately to force russian troops to leave the site, saying it was in the global interest. china and the us have called for un experts to be allowed to urgently visit the plant in central—eastern ukraine, but similar demands in the past have not been met. 0ur ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. this is the closest ukrainian soldiers can get to the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. the dnipro river now a watery front line. across it, russia is in control. the risks of its six reactors getting caught in the crossfire are very clear. but the picture of what is happening here is still murky.

we have been messaging two workers from the plant. they describe seeing colleagues kidnapped, as well as their concerns about a nuclear catastrophe. translation: my working day is a constant stress. _ there was shelling of the nitrogen oxygen station, which caused the fire. by some miracle, the people there survived. soldiers are walking everywhere with weapons and everyone is actually kept at gunpoint. they back up these pictures, which appear to show russian troops using the buildings as a base. and then there is the daily shelling of the site, as well as the city of enerhodar it sits in. ukraine and russia continue to blame each other. how dangerous is it currently as far as you are aware, what is your assessment? translation: the occupiers have been shelling the area around _ the nuclear power plant. people have been seriously injured. infrastructure has been damaged. power and water supplies have been interrupted.

at a meeting of the united nations security council, a repeat... the united states reiterates the importance... ..for international inspectors to be let in. there are also calls for russian troops to leave, which moscow did not agree to. and so, fears over europe's biggest nuclear power plant continue. translation: the russian military has been intimidating staff, - kidnapping and blackmailing. i am concerned about the psychological state of the technicians. the workers are making very important decisions while managing a nuclear reactor. this area has seen more intense fighting in recent weeks. there's still, though, very little movement, suggesting the zaporizhzhia plant will continue to slip from ukraine's control. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. donald trump has said he won't oppose the release of the warrant that led the fbi to search his house in florida. the former us president claimed the search was unnecessary and politically motivated. unsealing the warrant would make the reason for the search available to the public.

the family of the american actress anne heche, who was badly injured in a car crash a week ago, say she is not expected to survive. she's been in a coma since the accident in los angeles. anne heche, who's 53, is known forfilms including donnie brasco, cedar rapids and the 1998 remake of psycho. johnson &johnson says it will stop selling its baby talcum powder around the world next year. the pharmaceutical company has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits in the us and canada from people who claimed the product caused cancer — something the firm has denied. it will transition to a baby powder based on corn starch. thousands of train drivers who are members of the aslef union will stage a strike across nine rail companies tomorrow, in a dispute about pay. there will be an extremely limited service, or none at all, on services including great western, greater anglia and lner,

with operators warning disruption may continue into sunday. our business correspondent caroline davies is with me. another day of huge difficulty for many tomorrow. more rail strikes and we can go through which companies are involved. avanti west coast, greater western, greater anglia, hull trains, south—eastern and west midlands trains included. this is the second time train drivers have gone on strike previously. it was at the end ofjuly. the train drivers union aslef said they want a wage that reflects the cost of living and terms and conditions need to be protected. the companies say they want to give a pay rise to drivers but they need to have reforms in place to be able to pay for those

pay rises. in terms of the disruption we can expect, some companies will have no services. some will be limited. there is a suggestion there could be a knock—on impact on some other train services so the advice is to check before you travel. �* ., ., ,., ~ ., travel. and i thought about avanti west coast _ travel. and i thought about avanti west coast because _ travel. and i thought about avanti west coast because a _ travel. and i thought about avanti west coast because a limited - travel. and i thought about avanti i west coast because a limited service from sunday?— west coast because a limited service from sunday? yes. there has been an arc ument from sunday? yes. there has been an argument about _ from sunday? yes. there has been an argument about this. _ from sunday? yes. there has been an argument about this. avanti _ from sunday? yes. there has been an argument about this. avanti have - argument about this. avanti have said they normally used to rely on a00 services a week done by train drivers on rest days volunteering to do it and it dropped virtually overnight to only 50 volunteer staff taking on these roles. aslef, they have accused them of this being an unofficial strike action which aslef said is not the case. that this is a choice drivers are able to make and

and that this is avanti trying to blame other people for the fact they do not have enough drivers. so that will be a limited timetable coming into effect from sunday.— will be a limited timetable coming into effect from sunday. gymnast alice kinsella has won great britain's first medal of the european championships in munich, taking silver in the women's all—around final. it's her third medal injust over a week, after she won two golds at the commonwealth games in birmingham. this afternoon, all eyes will be on gb's charlotte worthington at the bmx park, as she goes for gold in the freestyle final. 0ur sports correspondent nesta mcgregor is in munich. good afternoon from what will no doubt be one of the liveliest venues on day two, it is quiet now with the last few minutes of practice but when the action is under way it will get loud. the ingredients for the atmosphere is simple. 0ne dj playing

loud music and a sprinkle of riders going through the air and garnished with screaming fans. the food analogy, charlotte worthington is a former chef and yesterday she was in incredible form, topping her group. the advantage of that is she rides last a day and will know exactly what she has to do. also qualifying is her team—mate, a 16—year—old, who could have a european medal before she has a gcse. great britain has good news this morning because behind me yesterday, declan brooks had a bad fall. he was taken to hospital and treated and discharged this morning with concussion. we wish him well. action from last night. alice kinsella winning the first medal of the games for great britain. later, we can expect medals to be given out in track cycling and also when it comes to the women's elite triathlon. i am going to seek

out that dj to see if he does request. back to you. studio: thank you very much. the short list of the eurovision song contest has been whittled down. the shortlist, whittled down from 20 places that expressed an interest, is birmingham, glasgow, leeds, liverpool, manchester, newcastle and sheffield. the uk will host next may after coming second in this year's contest — organisers decided it wouldn't be possible to stage it in the winning country ukraine. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito has more. eurovision1960 presented eurovision 1960 presented by katie eurovision1960 presented by katie boyle. good evening ladies and gentlemen. 0n boyle. good evening ladies and gentlemen. on behalf of the bbc i welcome you all to the fifth annual eurovision song contest. the welcome you all to the fifth annual eurovision song contest.— welcome you all to the fifth annual eurovision song contest. the uk has a lona eurovision song contest. the uk has a long history _ eurovision song contest. the uk has a long history of _

eurovision song contest. the uk has a long history of hosting _ eurovision song contest. the uk has a long history of hosting the - a long history of hosting the contest. edinburgh, harrogate, birmingham, all over. the question is where next?— is where next? there are seven cities on the — is where next? there are seven cities on the shortlist. - is where next? there are seven cities on the shortlist. the - cities on the shortlist. the shortlist — cities on the shortlist. the shortlist was _ cities on the shortlist. tte: shortlist was announced on cities on the shortlist. tt9: shortlist was announced on radio two. birmingham, glasgow, leeds, newcastle, sheffield and liverpool. that is it. :, :, , , , that is it. that was tense. they were more _ that is it. that was tense. they were more than _ that is it. that was tense. they were more than pleased, - that is it. that was tense. they - were more than pleased, especially a local eurovision star who came close to winning in 1993.t local eurovision star who came close to winning in 1993.— to winning in 1993. i am over the moon. to winning in 1993. i am over the moon- my _ to winning in 1993. i am over the moon. my fingers _ to winning in 1993. i am over the moon. my fingers are _ to winning in 1993. i am over the moon. my fingers are so - to winning in 1993. i am over the moon. my fingers are so crossed to winning in 1993. i am over the - moon. my fingers are so crossed that it comes to liverpool. we tick all the boxes. we have the arena, the beautiful city, everything on the doorstep. we are going to have the biggest party ever. doorstep. we are going to have the biggest party ever-— biggest party ever. liverpool has a musical heritage. _ biggest party ever. liverpool has a musical heritage. there _ biggest party ever. liverpool has a musical heritage. there is - biggest party ever. liverpool has a| musical heritage. there is romance to their bid. but the winner will be determined on practicalities. these days, eurovision is huge. glasgow has proved its ability to host major

events with the recent international climate conference but the fact so many cities have the facilities to be in the running says something. it is a great sign for the north. a lot of tourism in the uk is london centric and the fact there are so many northern centres on the list is a good sign, that people are seeing the north for the tourism it can bring. the north for the tourism it can brina. : :, , :, , the north for the tourism it can brina.: :, , :, ,~ bring. and whoever is finally chosen in the autumn. _ bring. and whoever is finally chosen in the autumn, that _ bring. and whoever is finally chosen in the autumn, that is _ bring. and whoever is finally chosen in the autumn, that is only - bring. and whoever is finally chosen in the autumn, that is only the - in the autumn, that is only the beginning. modern eurovision is rather larger than it was when the uk last hosted in 1998. david is in liverpool. it is an enormous event and that needs money. who pays for this? it is enormous event and that needs money. who pays for this?— who pays for this? it is a very good ruestion. who pays for this? it is a very good question. 1998, _ who pays for this? it is a very good question. 1998, birmingham, - who pays for this? it is a very good question. 1998, birmingham, 1. who pays for this? it is a very good question. 1998, birmingham, iwasj question. 1998, birmingham, iwas there and thought it was huge. go to it now and you realise it is twice

the size and they are not doing it once but twice in three times because of the semifinals. 2500 involved in making the contest happen which costs a lot of money, notjust millions, tens of millions. the majority of that will fall on the bbc as host broadcaster and as everyone knows not a lot of spare cash there. questions will be asked about the host cities and how much they can contribute. show me a local authority that has a lot of spare cash around. we understand the last venue initially spent 10 million which they considered good investment in terms of tourism they got back in return. there will be conversations with the government about whether they can help but you need to look at what we have here. the infrastructure is in place and so many cities are in the position where they can actually host it. exciting times. stargazers across the uk were last night treated to the fourth and final supermoon of the year.

a supermoon is a full or new moon that appears when it's at the closest point to earth. you don't need any special equipment to view it — apart from a camera to take amazing images like these. the next supermoon is expected in july next year. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. hello. we have been hearing about the drought. a consequence of the dry weather is a dust devil spotted in county durham yesterday where temperatures reached 31 celsius. to put the weather fronts in context, this is how long some places in southern england have gone without rain, over a0 days. there are showers but as with all showers, hit and miss and could be thundering. they will not necessarily be everywhere but some into the start

of next