Which Midlands canals are closed as temperatures rise?

A number of canals across the Midlands have been closed because of low water levels in the hot weather.

It comes after the Met Office announced an amber warning for extreme heat covering Thursday to Sunday.

The amber warning has been issued as temperatures are expected to reach the mid-thirties in places such as Birmingham, Bath, Brighton, Cardiff, Oxford, London, Norwich, and Portsmouth this week.

The Canal and River Trust says almost a tenth of waterways are currently shut. It's asking boaters to save water by sharing locks.

One boat hire company said water levels are now so low that boats are hitting the bottom of the canals. They added they are regularly being called out to fix boats with debris wrapped around its propellors.

Which Midlands canals are shut?

• Part of the Chesterfield Canal in the East Midlands will close later this week

• Restrictions on when boats can move are in place at Foxton in Leicestershire

• Stretch of Cauldon Canal in Staffordshire has been closed due to the lack of rain.

Will there be a hosepipe ban in the Midlands?

Despite seeing significantly less rainfall this year, Severn Trent and South Staffordshire Water say a ban in the Midlands is not yet necessary.

In a statement, Severn Trent said: "Our region has seen a dry start to the year, only seeing

"67% of the rainfall usually expected between April – June 2022.

"However, there hasn’t been a hosepipe ban in our region for more than 27 years (since 1995), and as we do every year, we continue to monitor reservoir levels and demand for water closely."