Thousands of people have been left without water on Sunday due to an issue at a Thames Water treatment works.
Thames Water apologised to residents in Godalming, Surrey, and said it was investigating.
Jeremy Hunt, the MP for the area, said a major incident had been declared. He posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was very concerned and had spoken to the CEO of Thames Water.
It follows issues caused by Storm Ciaran at Shalford water treatment works, Thames Water said.
Mr Hunt said he was told by the CEO at 2.50pm that 13,500 customers did not have water and a further 6,500 were expected to lose supply shortly.
The site controls had been reset and were being tested, he added.
“If this is successful, they can increase production to a level that will restore supply,” he said.
Surrey County Council confirmed a major incident had been declared in the area, telling Sky News it was “due to the number of properties affected” and also due to the incident occurring on a Sunday, when fewer staff are around.
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Read more: Flood warnings remain after Storm Ciaran – but rain expected to pass
Bottled water stations have been set up at the Crown Court car park in Godalming and Artington park and ride in Guildford.
Thames Water said it was also delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers.
Thames Water said its engineers were on site and tankers were being used to pump water into its supply network.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to those people who have no water or lower pressure than normal.
“[We] are doing all we can to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”
England have finished runners-up to Australia in the Netball World Cup after reaching the final for the first time ever.
The Roses trailed the 12-time champions at half-time on Sunday and despite a spirited effort in the second half were unable to triumph in the final in Cape Town, which finished 61-45.
Coming into the event, England were seen as underdogs among the big four nations – Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica being the other countries – but a strong performance in the tournament saw them secure a chance to fight for the trophy.
Manager Jess Thirlby’s team put up a valiant effort, but Australia were sharper, quicker, and more efficient across all departments.
Only Australia and New Zealand have won the World Cup in its modern form, so an England victory in South Africa would have been one for the history books.
Nonetheless, the England team that reached the final defied expectations, producing some superb comebacks throughout the tournament to keep their World Cup dream alive.
England even beat Australia 56-55 in a close contest earlier in the tournament, but the Diamonds won the crucial match on the biggest stage.
More on Netball World Cup
England manager Ms Thirlby said: “We’re really grateful for the silver medal, and over time it’ll sink in, but right now, we’re obviously gutted with a losing margin like that in our first final.
“It’s a tough lesson and over the next few days it’ll sink in, for now though, I think it’s ok for us to feel a little disappointed.
“It was always going to be a tough ask, and you just cant throw the ball away like we did.
“I just want to say I’m incredibly proud, despite the final result, and we had to battle to be there, but we just fell short today”.
Boris Johnson has been warned he could lose public funding for legal advice if he tries to “frustrate or undermine” the government’s position on the COVID inquiry.
Cabinet Office lawyers have told the former prime minister that public money would “cease to be available” if he breaks conditions such as releasing evidence without permission, the Sunday Times reported.
Mr Johnson confirmed on Friday he had sent unredacted WhatsApps directly to the COVID inquiry which is being led by the retired judge Baroness Hallett.
This was in opposition to the position of the Cabinet Office, which has launched a legal challenge against the request from the inquiry to hand over such material in unredacted form.
The Cabinet Office said there were “important principles at stake” – such as the issue of privacy.
Image: The row over submitting messages to the COVID inquiry has set Prime Minister Rishi Sunak against his predecessor
But in a letter to Baroness Hallett, Mr Johnson said: “While I understand the government’s position, I am not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it.”
The Sunday Times detailed a letter sent by Cabinet Office lawyers to Mr Johnson last week which suggests that his actions could see him lose public funding for his legal defence.
“The funding offer will cease to be available to you if you knowingly seek to frustrate or undermine, either through your own actions or the actions of others, the government’s position in relation to the inquiry unless there is a clear and irreconcilable conflict of interest on a particular point at issue,” it said.
Read more: Johnson to hand over unredacted messages directly to inquiry Government seeks legal challenge over order to hand over Johnson WhatsApps MPs could be banned from parliament while under investigation
They added that funding would “only remain available” if he complied with conditions such as sending the Cabinet Office “any witness statement or exhibit which you intend to provide to the inquiry so that it can be security checked by appropriate officials”.
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Boris Johnson denies fresh lockdown claims
The Cabinet Office said the letter was “intended to protect public funds” so taxpayer-funded lawyers are not used for any other purpose than aiding the inquiry.
Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, a staunch ally of Mr Johnson, said it was “not a good look for the government”.
“All evidence provided should be unfettered and not restricted by gov censorship – whatever form that may take,”she tweeted.
Tory donor Lord Cruddas, an outspoken backer of Mr Johnson, who handed him his peerage, urged former prime minister not to be “held to ransom” by the threat.
“Don’t worry @BorisJohnson I can easily get your legal fees funded by supporters and crowdfunding, it’s easy,” he tweeted.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “This letter from officials simply reiterates that taxpayer-funded lawyers must be used to aid the Covid inquiry and for no other purpose.
“The letter makes clear Mr Johnson has a duty to provide sincere witness to the inquiry independently and without reference to the views of the current government.
“This letter was intended to protect public funds. It in no way prevents Mr Johnson from providing whatever evidence he wants to.”
Two late goals by Iran in stoppage time have left Wales’ World Cup hopes hanging by a thread following a 2-0 defeat.
Goals by Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian gave Iran only their third ever World Cup victory – and Wales their first loss of this campaign.
It came after Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was shown a red card late in the match.
He came steaming out of his penalty area and missed an attempted clearance, clattering Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi in the process.
Initially given a yellow card, following a VAR check after protests from the Iranian team, match referee Mario Escobar changed his mind and sent the Welsh goalie off the pitch, reducing the Welsh side down to 10 men.
The defeat leaves Wales at the bottom of Group B. Their next match is against table leaders England on Tuesday, who face third-placed USA later tonight.
Wales will now have to beat England in the final group game to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup – something they have not achieved since 1958.
Iran’s hopes of qualification remain alive after today’s win.
Image: Wales’ Wayne Hennessey is shown a red card by referee Mario Escobar
Rob Page’s team were rattled at times during the match, with Iran continuously issuing reminders of the danger they posed.
Iran hit the post twice and then goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey – within seconds – during one explosive counter attack in the second half.
Wales rarely tested the Iranian defence, and appeared to be relying on another moment of magic from captain Gareth Bale.
The introduction of Daniel James and Brennan Johnson gave Wales more attacking potency, but Iran still looked a threat at the other end.
England have suffered heartbreak again after losing to New Zealand for the fifth time in the Rugby World Cup final.
Despite a strong start, the first-half sending off of winger Lydia Thompson proved crucial after a reckless tackle on Portia Woodman in the 18th minute.
The Black Ferns ended up winning by 34-31.
England went into the final on an unparalleled run of form, having won their last 30 tests, dating back to a defeat to New Zealand in July 2019.
Included in that sequence were back-to-back record victories for the Red Roses against their old rivals, by an aggregate of 99-27, a little over a year ago.
Earlier, France won the bronze medal after a 36-0 demolition of Canada, scoring five tries.
Author Salman Rushdie will likely lose an eye and has suffered severed nerves in an arm and damage to his liver after he was stabbed, his agent has said.
The 75-year-old remains on a ventilator after being airlifted to hospital and undergoing hours of surgery following the attack in New York state.
“The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye, the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” Andrew Wylie said in a written statement.
The Indian-born British author was being introduced to the audience ahead of giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, when a man stormed the stage and began attacking him, according to witnesses.
Image: Medics put up a screen as they tended to the author’s wounds. Pic: AP
Image: Pic: Mary Newsom
As Sir Salman fell to the floor, the man was pinned down by audience members and staff who ran on stage. The suspect was arrested by a state trooper soon after, and is now in custody.
He has been identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from Fairview, New Jersey, who bought a pass for the event. Police say they do not yet know a motive for the assault, but they believe the suspect was acting alone.
Image: A person was pictured being detained outside the Chautauqua Institution. Photo: AP
Read more: Why is Salman Rushdie so controversial?
Witness Pilar Pintagro told Sky News: “We were very scared because the first place (he was stabbed) was in the neck and that’s where the blood started to splash everywhere, and then he stabbed him in the shoulders and continued stabbing several times because it was so fast.
“People from the audience actually jumped onto the stage to try to put him down and Salman was trying to walk away from this guy, but he continued stabbing several times, and he was finally pinned down.”
Image: Sir Salman was airlifted to hospital
‘In shock’
The writer was helped by a doctor who was in the audience before emergency services arrived.
Police said the event’s moderator, Henry Reese, suffered a minor head injury after also being attacked.
Another witness Julia Mineeva Braun told Sky News that as Sir Salman was being introduced “all of a sudden from the left-hand side of the stage a short man, (dressed) all in black, ran out, and he approached Mr Rushdie”.
“It was very quick… we thought he was fixing his microphone, and then we saw the knife. He started stabbing him in the neck first… and Mr Rushdie got up and started running. We’re still in shock.”
Rushdie continued to write despite threat to life
Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British author whose writing about religion and politics has made him controversial in some parts of the world.
His first three novels – Grimus (1975), Midnight’s Children (1981) and Shame (1983) – were all met with praise but it was his fourth – The Satanic Verses – that brought criticism.
Some of the scenes in the 1988 book depict a character modelled on the Prophet Muhammad and this was met with anger from some members of the Muslim community in the UK.
Protests spread to Pakistan in January 1989 and the following month, the spiritual leader of revolutionary Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, condemned the book and issued a fatwa against him.
A bounty was offered for his death. Rushdie went into hiding under the protection of Scotland Yard in the UK, although he appeared in public occasionally.
Despite the threat to his life, he continued to write and in 1998 the Iranian government said it would no longer enforce the fatwa. But Ayatollah Khomeini’s successor as Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in 2005 that the fatwa was still valid.
Rushdie wrote about his experience in the third-person memoir Joseph Anton in 2012. He was knighted in 2007, a move that was criticised by the Iranian and Pakistani governments.
Sir Salman’s publisher Penguin Random House said they were “deeply shocked” by the incident.
“We condemn this violent public assault, and our thoughts are with Salman and his family at this distressing time.”
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan described the attack as “appalling”, adding: “We’re thankful to good citizens and first responders for helping him so swiftly.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter he was “appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while exercising a right we should never cease to defend”.
He added: “Right now my thoughts are with his loved ones. We are all hoping he is okay.”
Sir Salman lives in New York City and became a US citizen in 2016. His lecture was expected to discuss America’s role as an asylum for writers and other artists in exile, and as a home for freedom of creative expression.
Image: Pic: AP
His fourth book, The Satanic Verses, was banned in 1988 in a number of countries with large Muslim populations, including Iran, after it was considered by some to contain blasphemous passages.
In 1989, Iran’s then leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Sir Salman’s death.
The Middle East country also offered a bounty of more than $3m for anyone who kills the writer.
