2025 summer solstice at Stonehenge
Thousands attend annual festival at prehistoric structure in Wiltshire to mark the longest day in the northern hemisphere
Jim Powell Main image: Visitors welcome in the solstice sunrise at Stonehenge. Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters
Sat 21 Jun 2025 08.42 EDT
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Sky News
31 minutes ago
- Sky News
Rail passengers have to walk along tracks on hottest day of year so far after fault brings trains to halt
Scores of train passengers have been evacuated after some services were halted on what was the hottest day of the year in the UK so far. Video footage showed people, including young children, getting off a train near Loughborough Junction in south London and walking along the tracks with their luggage. Passenger Ioannis Dimitrousis, who filmed the incident, said he was travelling to Brighton when his train stopped. He said people were "locked in the train with no fresh air and no air conditioning". He said: "We were just going to Brighton but still messed up our day." He added that the train also had "lots of people" who were heading to Gatwick Airport who missed their flights. Another passenger wrote on X to Thameslink: "You will have hell to pay. We've been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour. "The doors were closed because we were told we may be moving. That was 15 minutes ago. It's like an oven in here and we're being slow-cooked." She said the train was "stuck between Blackfriars and East Croydon" in south London. A Thameslink spokesperson replied to her, saying: "This train will be getting evacuated shortly. Please wait until response staff have boarded and set up a safe evacuation route." Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail have apologised for the delays. A spokesperson said: "Earlier today, a fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought all services to a halt in the area, three of them outside station platforms. "Without power and air conditioning on such a hot day, we pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible along the track. "This would have been a difficult and uncomfortable experience for our passengers and we are truly sorry. "With safety our top priority, the safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board." The spokesperson said due to engineering works, the route affected was the only one that Thameslink trains can take south out of London. And the disruption was expected to continue into the evening. The spokesperson continued: "Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more are also entitled to compensation, with details on our website." It comes as the UK recorded the hottest day of the year so far, with a high of 33.2C (91.7F) in Charlwood, Surrey, according to the Met Office.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside the hell trains: People were starting to pass out and some were taking their clothes off, say passengers stuck in crammed carriages for hours on hottest day of the year
A passenger that was today crammed on board a motionless train without air conditioning or ventilation on the hottest day of the year has revealed what it was like on board. Kam Zaki, 47, was one of the 1,800 commuters who were stranded on the Thameslink services which had passengers feeling like they were being 'slow cooked' in 'an oven'. The medical doctor from Brighton had boarded at West Hampstead on his way home from London after visiting the city for Dua Lipa 's Wembley concert last night. He said the train was supposed to come at 10.09am, but showed up ten minutes late before making its way south of the River Thames. But on the junction between Elephant & Castle and Loughborough Junction, the train came to a grinding halt at around 11am and it took 10 minutes before passengers were informed that there was a problem. Mr Zaki said the train quickly began heating up with 'no air conditioning' and 'no windows that could be opened' amid the 34C heat. 'It was getting very, very hot in there,' he told MailOnline. While passengers initially remained calm and were 'offering seats to people who were frailer than them', Mr Zaki said the heat inside the train became unbearable for some. 'Some men started to take their tops off. People were offering drinks to each other and passing them around. 'I didn't personally see anyone fainting but there were passengers saying that people were starting to pass out because it was so hot and they were becoming unwell. 'Some passengers took it upon themselves and started to actually open up the doors on the train, forcing them open. 'Eventually all the doors were open. The driver noticed that was happening and said "Ok, just open the doors but don't get on the tracks".' The commuters were then told that the train would be making its way to Elephant and Castle which meant all the doors had to shut once more. 'But that never happened,' Mr Zaki said. 'So, the driver actually told us that we can open the doors again. 'Eventually, he said that Network Rail and the police had got involved and that we were going to be evacuated from the train.' The 47-year-old said passengers were evacuated from the train at around 12.15pm, more than an hour after it became motionless. They were assisted by police who came armed with ladders to help people make the climb down on to the tracks. But Mr Zaki said they received no further instructions once they were onto the track, which they walked around 400 yards along. 'After that, there wasn't really any provision or any instructions of what to do or where to go,' he added. 'People just made their way wherever they felt most appropriate for them. 'There was a van waiting for general medical emergencies and for giving water, but there wasn't anybody ushering people to something like a bus waiting. 'There also wasn't anyone there to say, 'Everybody should go to Loughborough Junction station and your journey from there, we'll make provisions'. 'There was none of that. 'I'm quite lucky because I only had a bag. There were people with children. There were elderly people, there were parents with prams carrying a lot of things and a lot of people with heavy luggage. And it's not smooth walking on the tracks.' Another passenger said they had been stuck on a 'rammed' service to Brighton between Elephant and Castle and Loughborough Junction which was a medical accident 'waiting to happen' Mr Zaki said he had hoped to be back in Brighton early to get his house ready for friends who he had invited over tonight, but now doesn't know he'll make it back in time. 'I'm just very shattered at the moment,' he said. 'I came to London for the show yesterday and I was queuing for 11 hours yesterday for the concert. 'I'll try my luck again with the trains later on. I think I'm going to see what's the next available train and hopefully there won't be too many delays.' Mr Zaki is one of many customers who expressed their dismay with the train operator, who have since apologised and offered compensation. One commuter wrote on social media as the events were unfolding: '[Thameslink] you will have hell to pay. We've been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour. 'The doors were closed because we were told we may be moving. That was 15 minutes ago. It's like an oven in here and we're being slow cooked.' Another said they had been stuck on a 'rammed' service to Brighton between Elephant and Castle and Loughborough Junction which was a medical accident 'waiting to happen'. They also asked why there was 'no air con' or windows that could be opened on the service. In their instructions to stuck passengers, Thameslink initially posted on X that anyone stuck should not attempt to leave the train. They said: 'If you're stuck on a train which isn't moving, please remain where you are and don't make any attempt to leave the train unless instructed to.' Thameslink also replied to a post from a passenger who said he was stuck on a service between Blackfriars and East Croydon which had been 'over an hour with no AC'. Their reply read: 'Network Rail staff and emergency services are enroute to each train stuck between stations to evacuate and work on getting these moving.' Thameslink have since issued a full statement in which they said they were 'truly sorry'. The statement read: 'Earlier today, a fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought all services to a halt in the area, three of them outside station platforms. 'Without power and air conditioning on such a hot day, we pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible along the track. 'This would have been a difficult and uncomfortable experience for our passengers and we are truly sorry. With safety our top priority, the safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board. 'There is engineering work taking place today, which means this is the only route Thameslink trains can take south out of London and severe disruption is expected for the rest of the afternoon. 'Anyone travelling south of London is currently advised to use Southern services from Victoria but you should check the latest travel advice at 'Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more are also entitled to compensation, with details on our website.' A British Transport Police spokesperson added: 'Officers were called to Loughborough Junction Railway Station at just before 11am today (June 21) to reports of a train broken down nearby. 'Officers assisted Thameslink and Network Rail and all passengers have been evacuated safely.' A London Fire Brigade spokesperson also said: 'We were called at 11.46am today to assist around 1,800 railway passengers who were on board three trains which were stranded near Loughborough Junction station. 'Once the power to the railway line had been isolated, around 25 firefighters worked alongside railway staff and the British Transport Police to safely lead the passengers from the trains and along the track and to the station.' The frightening ordeal comes just days after experts predicted nearly 600 people in England and Wales could die as a result of this week's heatwave. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London used decades of UK data to predict excess mortality during the hot temperatures from Thursday to Sunday. Their study, released on Saturday, forecasted that around 570 people could die due to the heat over the four days. The excess deaths were estimated to peak at 266 on Saturday when the heat will be at its most intense. London was predicted to have the greatest number of excess deaths with 129. The researchers said their assessment highlights how extreme heat poses a growing threat to public health in the UK. Today, Britain is as hot as the likes of Barbados and Corfu and is hotter than Barcelona and Lisbon. But forecasters at the Met Office warned that much of the UK could be soaked as soon as 5pm this evening as the humid aftermath of the heatwave looks set to result in a downpour. This week has already seen thermometers surpass 30C across much of the UK, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all recording their warmest days of the year on Friday. But forecasters at the Met Office warned that much of the UK could be soaked as soon as 5pm this evening as the humid aftermath of the heatwave looks set to result in a downpour (Pictured: Commuters squeeze onto a London Underground tube, June 21, 2025) That blistering heat has continued into today, which is the official end of spring, an occasion which was marked at Stonehenge this morning. Thousands of people watched the sunrise over the monument to celebrate the summer solstic e. Those who gathered for the spectacle in Wiltshire braved a warm start to the morning as they marked the year's longest day. Temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London reached 18C by 5am, according to the Met Office. The weather bureau confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside recorded the highest overnight temperatures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am on Saturday. Towns in Cumbria and Lancashire also recorded temperatures above 19C. An amber heat-health alert for all regions in England remains in place for the weekend, but a warning for thunder has been issued. Spanning the north Midlands to Northumberland, including north-east Wales, downpours, hail, lightning and gusty winds are predicted from 5pm today until the early hours of tomorrow. The Met Office warned of 'sudden flooding' which could see communities 'cut off', transport disruption and power cuts. The hot weather is poised to linger in the South and East through the weekend. An amber heat health alert – to warn healthcare providers – lasts until Monday. Elsewhere, temperatures are set to fall from tomorrow to the high teens or low 20s. It follows a World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group study published on Friday which found the heatwave has been made around 100 times more likely and 2-4C hotter due to climate change. Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, lecturer at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, said: 'Heatwaves are silent killers - people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death. 'This real-time analysis reveals the hidden toll of heatwaves and we want it to help raise the alarm. 'Heatwaves are an underappreciated threat in the UK and they're becoming more dangerous with climate change.' An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK. The Met Office confirmed that 'many places' in England and 'one or two areas' in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday. There will also be very high UV and pollen levels across the country on Saturday, the forecaster said. The amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday. It warns 'significant impacts are likely' across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions. Following the hot weather, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) urged the public to take heat and water safety seriously. During 2022's heatwave, temperatures rose past 40C, leading to 320 people being treated in hospital. Steve Cole, policy director at RoSPA, said: 'Heat is no longer just a holiday perk - it's a growing public health risk. 'We're seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities. 'Warm weather can also be deceptive when it comes to going for a dip.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tourist taxes: be careful what you wish for, because holidaymakers have choices too
In these divided times, seeing multi-party agreement is uplifting. The setting: Glasgow city administration committee on Thursday 19 June. SNP, Labour, Conservatives and Greens joined in voting in favour of the city's visitor levy. From January 2027, people staying in hotels and all other commercial accommodation in Glasgow will pay 5 per cent on top of the bill. Each year, tourists and business travellers will provide £16m for the council to spend on civic improvements and promoting Glasgow. Edinburgh has already decided to charge overnight guests 5 per cent on top of the room rate, starting in July next year. Good to see the two big Scottish cities agreeing on something, too. Back in Glasgow, Ricky Bell of the SNP said there was 'no evidence to suggest that the introduction of a levy would be detrimental to the city'. Free money, then. And (almost) nobody who lives and votes in Glasgow will pay it. What's not to like? A load of locations across Europe and the wider world already have similar tourist taxes. Paris and Rome hardly seem short of tourists, so Mr Bell is surely right: a levy will not deter visitors. At the risk of disrupting such rare unity, I beg to differ. A couple staying in a three-star hotel in the French capital pay £9.50 per night in Paris tourist tax. I shall assume the room itself costs £110, which is what I have been seeing apart from during the Olympics slump last summer. With accommodation tax at 10 per cent in France, the pair will pay just short of 20 per cent in levies – which corresponds to the current rate of VAT in Scotland and the rest of the UK. With their new 5 per cent charge, Edinburgh and Glasgow will leap ahead in the proportion they extract from tourists. By next summer, the 'stealth' visitor tax on foreigners known as air passenger duty will extract £15 for European flights and £102 for North American visitors. It all adds up. Edinburgh and Glasgow are great cities, and share freely with visitors their immense cultural wealth in the shape of world-class museums and galleries. The assumption is that tourist demand is inelastic – the city councils can put on taxes without dampening the desire to visit. I am not so sure. If it were the case, why stop at 5 per cent – let's try 10, or 20? The UK already looks unwelcoming, with a £16 admission fee in the shape of the Electronic Travel Authorisation and a refusal to accept perfectly secure European Union identity cards – disenfranchising around 300 million EU citizens who don't have passports. Edinburgh is a special case. The capital is a huge tourism draw, home to the industry of government and a key business hub. But Glasgow does not enjoy such fortune. If accommodation looks too pricey, visitors from northern England may switch to day trips; other tourists will stay at properties beyond the city's boundaries and the reach of the levy. Either way, the entire spend at a Glasgow property is lost. Another unintended consequence could be that visitors switch to cheaper, characterless budget hotels rather than independent enterprises. Imposing a flat levy across the year looks odd, too. To stretch the season and persuade people to visit off-peak, it would be smarter to have a 15 per cent tax for the four months from the start of June to the end of September, falling to zero for the rest of the year. Fees for visitors are worthwhile if they are substantial and change behaviour The shrewdest tourism tax I have seen in a long while is the brand-new €20 (£17) charge for each passenger arriving on a cruise ship to the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini from July to September. Cruise firms are understandably cross that it has been introduced so late in the day. As Paul Ludlow, president of Carnival UK, told me: 'When things are sprung on us late, it's not the way in which we'd like to work.' The principle, though, is sound: 'We really don't need thousands more people arriving for the day and contributing little to the islands' economies, so the least we can do is extract €50,000 from the average ship.' I support every city, region and nation making choices about taxes and tourism. But every tourist has choice, too.
