Millions of people in England are being warned to prepare a personal flood plan and stock up on bottled water and emergency kits ahead of what is expected to be the strongest El Niño on record this winter.
More than 11 million people in six million properties susceptible to flash floods or rising water levels during extreme weather should take steps now to protect their homes, the Environment Agency has said.
This includes signing up to get localised warnings by text, phone or email and making a flood plan which they can put into effect if extreme weather is imminent.
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Caption: FILE PHOTO: Grounded flydubai and Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked in an aerial photo at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo
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Israel-bound flight diverted after ‘fight between pilots’
A Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had to be diverted this morning after a physical fight between the plane’s two pilots, Israeli officials have told local media.
Emergency code triggered
Two hours after taking off from Dubai, the flight signalled an emergency code, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The plane, carrying around 150 people, mostly Israelis, was diverted to land in Saudi Arabia instead of Ben-Guiron airport.
Caption: FILE – Israeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane which departed from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 8, 2020.(AP Photo/Malak Harb, File)
Photographer: Malak Harb
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Copyright: Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Air force responds
The US has long been Israel’s primary ally and has helped develop its powerful military (Photo: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)
Israel dispatched fighter jets to the incident site
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations
Analysis
4 min read
Flydubai issues statement
A Flydubai spokesperson confirmed the flight “experienced an incident while en route”, and that updates will be issued as further details become available. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” it added.
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The US Embassy in Britain has issued a security alert for American citizens in the UK, after a suspected terror plot on RAF Fairford. The base has been used by the US to strike Iranian missile sites. In a statement, the embassy said “US-associated facilities, gatherings, and organisations may be at heightened risk”, and listed a number of actions to take. These include being “aware” of surroundings and “monitoring local media for updates”.
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Households are facing heightened winter pressure from energy bills after regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by four per cent to a three-year high (Photo: PA)
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Energy bills to soar by 16% in January – what it means for your money
The typical household bill is set to jump by £276 in January, according to an industry forecaster, with others warning of a “second energy crisis” on the horizon.
Second price rise predicted in the New Year
Bills are set to go up tomorrow by 4 per cent in line with the energy regulator Ofgem’s price cap increase. Energy consultancy firm, Cornwall Insights, has warned the next price cap increase in January could be even more, bringing a typical annual bill to £1,999.
Caption: The ofgem sign. Ofgem regulate the electricity and gas markets in Great Britain. (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
Photographer: Andrew Aitchison
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Government promises ‘breathing space’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC this morning that rising energy costs were “very difficult indeed”, and the Government would be looking at “any measure that can give people breathing space”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivered a radical speech at his first Labour party conference as leader (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
People across the UK are feeling the pinch (Photo: Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP/Getty)
This came as the CEO of energy supplier EDF, Simone Rossi, warned the UK is “walking into a second energy crisis”.
Bleak winter ahead
“I’m doing what I can, removing say VAT off bills. But it is very difficult indeed, and it’s why the Middle East situation needs to command a lot of our attention.”
Andy Burnham
Caption: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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ANALYSIS | This was Andy Burnham’s moment, and his chance to show what kind of Prime Minister he wants to be. In a deeply personal first Labour conference speech as PM, Burnham paid tribute to his late father Roy while setting out major choices on social care, the triple lock and Britain’s relationship with Europe. The i Paper looks at what the speech tells us about the direction of his new premiership. #UKPolitics #News #Burnham #LabourConference
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What we know as three teenagers die after car plunges into River Wear
Three people have died and a 17-year-old arrested after a car plunged into a river in Sunderland.
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Emergency services near Wearmouth Bridge after a car went into the River Wear in Sunderland. Rescue teams were searching the water near Wearmouth Bridge after the car went into the river on Tuesday. Police, ambulance crews, the RNLI and Coastguard were on the scene. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: ???Shortly before 1.30pm today, we received a report of a car entering the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland. Picture date: Tuesday September 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Photographer: Owen Humphreys
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Car broke through barrier
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Emergency services near Wearmouth Bridge after a car went into the River Wear in Sunderland. Rescue teams were searching the water near Wearmouth Bridge after the car went into the river on Tuesday. Police, ambulance crews, the RNLI and Coastguard were on the scene. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: ???Shortly before 1.30pm today, we received a report of a car entering the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland. Picture date: Tuesday September 29, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Photographer: Owen Humphreys
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A black Audi A3 smashed through a roadside barrier at 1.30pm on Tuesday near Wearmouth Bridge
Two boys and a girl were killed
A 17-year-old who was in the car has been arrested
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Surviving boy arrested
The boy who reached safety has subsequently been arrested in connection with the incident. He remains in police custody at this time. He is currently in hospital with what have been described as non-serious injuries.”
NOrthumbria police spokesperson
Caption: UK police officer with his body camera, taser and police radio attached to his stab vest.
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Three things to know as economy grows by 0.5%
Britain needs a new financial settlement for young people (Photo:
standret/ Getty Images)
The economy has grown by slightly more than initially expected, as figures for growth from April to June this year increased from 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent by the Office for National Statistics.
Industries performing well
Labour pledged to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029 – but now admits that target won’t be hit (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Getty)
The boost came from the services sector growing 0.6 per cent.
The construction industry also grew by 0.8 per cent.
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Last year revised down
Growth for 2025 as a whole was a little lower than previously estimated.
Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics, explained that the figures initially given for last year were too high.
The Prime Minister has signalled that significant change is coming, saying that the country needs to ‘get really serious’ in reducing the welfare bill (Photo: Getty)
Growth for 2025 was revised from 1.3 per cent to 1.2 per cent.
What’s driving growth?
The average UK household’s disposable income increased by 1 per cent, contributing to economic growth overall.
Making it through the day without using caffeine as a crutch? You’re probably doing better than you think (Photo: Yaroslav Olieinikov/Getty)
Caption: Department for Work and Pensions on 5th April 2026 in London, United Kingdom. The Department for Work and Pensions, DWP based at Caxton House is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Photographer: Mike Kemp
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The rise was down to increased income from benefits, which at £5.3bn outstripped the increase in salaries at £2.8bn. The annual increase of state pensions and working age benefits in April contributed to this jump.
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The Prime Minister has announced that the triple lock – which ensure that the state pension rises by either inflation, wages or 2.5 per cent – will end after the next election. The Labour manifesto at the 2024 general election pledged to keep the triple lock for the duration of this Parliament, which Burnham said he will “honour”. During his speech at Labour Party conference, Burnham added “in April 2030, we will adjust it. The state pension will continue to rise every year, at least by prices or 2.5 percent, and it will hold its value relative to earnings over time”.
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Fat Bear Week has a winner and his story will melt your icy heart
A brown bear known as Backpack, officially named Bear 89, is this year’s winner (Photo: explore.org via AP)
The final of the competition, which asks viewers of live feeds to name the bear that has put on the most weight in Alaska, came down to a battle of the nepo-bears, and the victor triumphed over adversity.
What is Fat Bear Week?
The competition is run by Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska, one of the most chilly and remote (yet deliciously salmon-rich) places on Earth. There were 2,200 brown bears up for the title. Among them was Chunk (or Bear 32, they all have numbers), who weighed in at an estimated 1,200lbs (544kg) to take the 2025 crown.
Caption: This handout photo from the National Park Service shows Chunk (Bear 32), the 2025 Fat Bear Week champion, a wild brown bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska. Polls opened on September 22 in the only American election that really matters: Fat Bear Week. While the United States might be gearing up for midterm ballots that will decide who runs Washington, hundreds of thousands of people were readying to vote on animals gorging themselves in rural Alaska. (Photo by T. CARMACK / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / National Park Service / T.Carmack” – HANDOUT – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Photographer: T. CARMACK
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Caption: In this photo provided by Katmai Conservancy, a bear munches a salmon in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve in Sept., 2026. (Guy Runco/Katmai Conservancy via AP)
Photographer: Guy Runco
Provider: Katmai Conservancy via AP
Source: Katmai Conservancy
Copyright: Teklanika Photography 2025
Top two contenders
After a week of voting, it came down to a battle of the sexes. Representing the ladies: Bear 910. Born in 2016, she is the daughter of former Fat Bear Week champion, Beadnose.
Caption: This image from video provided by explore.org shows a brown bear known as “Backpack,” officially named Bear 89, wading through Brooks River on Sept. 8, 2026, in the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. (explore.org via AP)
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Caption: This Sept. 9, 2026 photo provided by the National Park Service shows Bear 910 standing along the Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. (C. Loberg/National Park Service via AP)
Photographer: C. Loberg
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Source: National Park Service
In the men’s corner: Bear 89. His name is “Backpack”, because in his first year as a cub (pictured), back in 2006, he would often climb onto the back of his mum, also a former winner, when she swam in the river.
A hard start in life
Naturalist Mike Fitz, the creator of Fat Bear Week, said the winning bear “knew hardship at an early age”. He got a bad injury as a cub, which made him vulnerable as he struggled to keep up with his mother.
Backpack won by 103,344 votes to 98,253.
A brown bear known as Backpack, officially named Bear 89, is this year’s winner (Photo: explore.org via AP)
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Watch: This year’s winner
Bear 89, nicknamed ‘Backpack,’ has been crowned the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion at Alaska’s Katmai National Park after winning the annual online voting contest pic.twitter.com/9ctGmX5RNP
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 30, 2026
A personal flood plan, available on the Government website, recommends being ready to store essential items such as mobile phones, laptops, passports, driving licences and other key documents, as well as things that carry sentimental value such as family photos and jewellery, in waterproof bags or containers if extremely wet weather is forecast.
Households at risk should also prepare an emergency flood kit of drinking water, medicine, waterproof clothing, a change of dry clothes, torch and items for any babies and children if they have to leave their home in a hurry.
Research by the Environment Agency suggests that around a third of people at risk – some 3.4 million – do not know they are. People are being advised to look up their home’s status on check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk.
El Niño is a climate pattern which affects large parts of the world, often bringing higher temperatures. It occurs when the typically cool, dry east Pacific becomes warmer and wetter. This can raise global temperatures and cause more droughts and floods.
Scientists monitoring Pacific Ocean temperatures warned last week that the developing El Niño is already the strongest on record.
Strongest El Niño on record developing
This means that daily sea surface temperatures in part of the central eastern Pacific were 3.05C above average on 19 September, breaking the previous record of 3.02C set in 2015. The peak is expected later this year.
Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said that despite the predictions of the strongest-ever El Niño, the effects on the UK this winter could still be subtle.
Modelling by the Met Office suggests there is a 40 per cent chance the next three months could be wetter overall – which is double the normal chance – and a 25 per cent chance it will be windier, which is 1.3 times the normal expectation.
He said this did not mean it would definitely be wetter and windier but there was a “subtle shift in the odds” of those conditions.
Lang said: “There is an increased signal for it being wetter overall, windier than overall than normal, and milder than usual as well, but things could easily be different from that.”
Seasonal models suggested there is an increased chance of drier and colder conditions towards the back end of winter, Lang said, adding: “All of this, both the wet start and the drier end, are consistent with what you might expect from a typical El Niño year and its effect on the UK in the winter half of the year.
“We are going in with a heightened potential for wet weather, heightened potential for potentially stormy conditions, and obviously that leads through to a heightened potential for flooding.”
Even if the effects of the developing El Niño could be slight in the UK this autumn and winter, the British government is preparing its biggest ever response to potential flooding.
UK preparing biggest ever response to flooding
In addition to one week of public awareness during a national Flood Action Week in mid-October, there will be sustained government communications throughout autumn and winter.
The Environment Agency has improved its forecasting and warning service, which will use an internationally recognised “common alerting protocol”, where official alerts are added to third party platforms such as Google Maps.
The government is also preparing to send more emergency alerts to phones if flash floods are forecast, while a new national operations centre with “24/7 situational awareness and coordination” has been stepped up.
Caroline Douglas, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “What we want the public to do is know what their risk is, check on gov.uk, and we need them to sign up for flood warnings.
“And if they are at risk they need to prepare a flood plan – understanding what they need to do and when to be able to respond.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Our climate is changing and as we head into winter, we’re making sure communities have the protection they need from flooding.
“We have put a record amount of money into flood protection, and in the last two years alone this has helped protected more than 62,000 properties.
“This year we are investing £1.4bn to help fund more than 600 flood defence projects and better protect more communities across the country.”