A court attendent tries to keep dry as rain stops play on day eight of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London.

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All nine were returned to the beach safely

Nine people have been rescued by hovercraft from mud flats off the North Somerset coast after they got stranded while trying to reach the sea.

A walker on Brean Down raised the alarm after spotting several groups struggling in waist-deep mud about a mile from the shore.

A coastguard spokesman said Saturday’s rescue was a “serious situation” because of the incoming tide.

He said: “The tide was coming in quickly.”

Two hovercrafts from the Burnham-on-Sea-based rescue charity BARB were called to nearby Uphill, along with a team of six coastguards.

The Light Of Elizabeth hovercraft was taken out on to the mud flats and a group of five men from Cardiff were taken on board and brought back to the beach.

Two women from Bristol, aged 25 and 22, were rescued a few minutes later, followed by a further two men, both aged 21 and from Gloucestershire.

Some of those rescued were stuck in mud up to their waist

One of those rescued, Helen Coles, from Bristol, said: “Walking out to reach the sea seemed a good idea at the time, but the mud got very deep as we approached the water.

“We got stuck waist-deep – seeing the hovercraft coming to help us was a wonderful moment. We are so grateful to everyone.”

Rescue boat spokesman Mark Newman added: “BARB has never rescued so many people during one afternoon in the charity’s 19-year history.

“Our volunteer crews were relieved to be able to rescue all nine people safely.

“The sea does look tempting during hot weather, but ignoring the warning signs and wading across the mud flats to reach the water puts lives at risk.”

The charity has helped and rescued more than 200 people in Somerset over the past 19 years.

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Six months ago parts of north-west England flooded and residents waded knee-deep in muddy water. Now, heading into high summer, a hosepipe ban looms. So why is it suddenly so dry?

Measures of rainfall, soil moisture, river flows and reservoir stocks all show north-west England is low on water.

This week United Utilities, the water company that provides water to the region’s seven million people, applied for a drought permit. A look at reservoir stocks across England and Wales shows only the Colliford reservoir on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, has above average stocks.

In the past six months the North West has had much less rain than normal, with certain areas having less than 60% of the long term average. In the past five months, the North West has had its lowest rainfall since 1929, says the Environment Agency.

As rainfall has dropped, so has the water level of its reservoirs. This is because the region is unusual in that it lacks large underground aquifers that can soak up and store rainwater, and so is far more reliant on regular rainfall to keep its supplies topped up.

“Despite receiving record-breaking levels of rainfall in November 2009 in Cumbria, our drinking water relies on water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs,” says an Environment Agency spokesperson. “These are sensitive to changes in the weather, responding quickly to heavy rainfall or dry periods.”

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Punters enjoying the warm summer weather pass under The Mathematical Bridge as they make their way along the River Cam in the centre of Cambridge.

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The temperature is expected to reach 30 C on Sunday

Sunday is set to be the hottest day so far this year and temperatures may hit 30C, the BBC weather centre predicts.

The previous high for 2010 was on 24 May, when it reached 28.8C at Heathrow Airport.

The prediction comes as millions are set to watch England play Germany in the World Cup and Glastonbury festival-goers bask in the sun.

“The heat just continues to build and build and Sunday could be its peak,” BBC forecaster Dan Corbett said.

The hot weather has been caused by an area of low pressure to the north-west of the UK which is allowing warm air to travel in from southern Europe.

Sunstroke

“There could be some cloud and showers across parts of north-west Britain and even some thunder. The south-east of England up to Birmingham will see the highest temperatures,” the BBC forecaster said.

William Hill, meanwhile, has set odds of 16/1 that temperatures will top 100F at Wimbledon and 5/1 that the temperature will break the 100F mark at any time this year.

At Wimbledon officials had taken measures to ensure spectators did not wilt in the heat at the All England Club.

Some 1,000 bottles of suncream and 8,615 punnets of strawberries were expected to be sold.

By 1400 BST on Saturday, the temperature at Wisley in Surrey had reached a high of 27.7C.

Those attending Glastonbury have already swapped wellies for flip-flops and with with thermometers topping 25C, many have been sunbathing between gigs.

Bangers and bikinis

Medics at the festival have treated 1,185 people so far, mostly for heatstroke and other sun-related ailments.

Tesco said it expects to sell one million burgers, nine million fresh sausages and 700,000 bags of salad as people plan to hold parties to mark the weekend’s sporting events.

Asda said it has sold 165,000 bikinis in recent days, up 47% on this time last year.

Meanwhile, the threat of a hosepipe ban is looming over residents of north-west England.

United Utilities, the water company that provides water to the region’s seven million people, has applied for a drought permit.

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Over 300 million visits are made to waterways each year

With temperatures remaining high this weekend, British Waterways is urging people not to cool off by jumping into canals and rivers.

The organisation has a campaign called SAFE or Stay Away From the Edge, warning of the dangers.

Many waterways are relatively shallow, and anyone jumping or diving into them runs a risk of serious injury from hidden objects under the water.

It also warns of the dangers of cramp and illnesses in the water.

Cold water can bring on cramps to even the strongest swimmers, while currents created by passing boats and water movements around locks and weirs pose further dangers.

Contact with canal or river water can also bring about stomach illnesses or Weil’s disease.

Around 300 million visits are made to British Waterways’ 2,200 mile network of canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks each year.

It says any open body of water can pose a hazard, particularly to unsupervised children or anyone under the influence of alcohol.

Peter Wade, the organisation’s safety advisor, said: “Everyone loves to come down to the canal in the summer and it makes a fantastic free day out for all the family.

“There are plenty of ways to enjoy the waterways safely, from picnics and wildlife walks to joining canoeing clubs and just watching the boats go by.

“If anyone wants to go swimming we would suggest they choose somewhere suitable, such as a swimming pool or lido. British Waterways urges adults to make sure young children are supervised close to water, and we encourage people to stay away from the edge.”

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