The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for potential thunderstorms in England on Thursday (01/08).

Thunder is forecast at the end of a recent heatwave in southern England, with temperatures rising above 25 degrees Celsius in the region over the last few days.

This heatwave is however forecast to run into a thundery patch, with expectations that storms could be seen on Wednesday evening but are likelier to fall on Thursday.

As of 08:20am on Wednesday 31st July, Milton Keynes is forecast potential rain between 1pm and 7pm on Thursday, with the highest risk of rain falling being between 2pm and 5pm.

A risk of rain on Wednesday was initially forecast in some weather forecasts, but current forecasts suggest it’ll remain dry.

Under a yellow weather warning, Met Office advice is that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, and where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus service.

Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost in some extreme circumstances.

In very extreme circumstances, flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds, while fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.

In a statement, the Met Office’s Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Holley said, “While there is often some uncertainty during thundery breakdowns, we’re monitoring several areas that could see some thunderstorms on Wednesday, but more especially Thursday. There is a small chance in parts of south and southeast England as early as Wednesday, perhaps more likely on Wednesday night, with other areas of heavy and locally thundery rain developing across portions of Wales, the Midlands and northern England later on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

“In addition, scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms may break out on Thursday afternoon and evening across parts of central, southern and eastern England, along with perhaps south Wales, which may produce gusty winds, large hail and the risk of surface water flooding. The heaviest downpours could produce in excess of 25mm of rain in less than an hour, with disruption possible in some areas. This is an evolving story, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest forecast during the next couple of days.”

Proposals to redevelop The Brunel Centre and former Sainsbury’s site in Bletchley are set to progress as Milton Keynes City Council begins the search for a development partner.

Following engagement with the local community, the sites have been earmarked to deliver a modern mixed-use scheme, including new homes and shops in place of the existing buildings currently on the site.

The city council’s independent property arm, Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP), purchased the sites last year to form part of the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Deal project. The Town Deal project will see major improvements to Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, partly paid for by £23m in government funding the city council had previously secured.

Both sites form part of the city council’s proposals to regenerate the town centre. Plans are also progressing to attract more events to Queensway such as food festivals and offer grants to entrepreneurs who want to open small business on the high street.

A decision to begin the procurement process is scheduled for 30 July.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Customer Experience, Cllr Lauren Townsend, said, “This is another important milestone in delivering a brighter and more prosperous future for Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. We’re keen to find the right development partner who can take the community’s vision and reinvigorate these important sites.

“We have a real opportunity to deliver a scheme that will benefit people for generations to come. It’s thanks to the local community who have helped shape the proposals until now. We look forward to receiving proposals for the next phase of the project and continuing our work with local people.”

MK Dons played out a draw with Portsmouth as the two sides drew 1-1 in the Dons’ first home pre-season friendly.

Former MK Dons winger Josh Murphy gave the visitors an early lead, before Tommy Leigh equalised just after the hour.

The Dons had a smattering of chances to take victory, but nevertheless had their moments as they held out against a side that are preparing to compete in next season’s Championship.

Having started their pre-season with games against Barnet, German side Hannover’s B-team, Chelmsford City and Wealdstone, the Dons turned their attention to a pair of home friendlies against Championship opposition in their final preparations for the League Two season kick-off.

Last season’s League One champions Portsmouth were the first, with Pompey making the trip to Milton Keynes in a midweek encounter at Stadium MK.

The game was the first chance for the Dons to field some of their new recruits at Stadium MK, with seven starting and two on the bench.

But it was the visitors who took the lead. After winning the ball high-up, a Portsmouth passing move saw the ball worked for Murphy, whose shot took a deflection off Sam Sherring that wrong-footed goalkeeper Tom McGill and bobbled in.

On a super hot evening in Milton Keynes, the Championship-bound visitors were having their moments but while they winning the ball high up, they weren’t creating too many chances, with the best seeing a shot by Paddy Lane blocked by Laurence Maguire.

It took the Dons around 20 minutes to create their first major chance, but they very nearly made the most of it. Space opened up for Conor Grant, and his strike from the edge of the box was tipped wide by Will Norris.

Portsmouth responded with a few chances of their own, as a hit from the wide area by Sammy Silvera nearly arced it’s way into the net before Ryley Towler’s header from a corner just crept wide.

The visitors continued to look dangerous but MK Dons were having their moments. A through-pass by Leigh nearly sat kindly for Callum Hendry, but the Dons maintained pressure and Leigh bent a shot just wide.

Half-time sub Matt Dennis saw a low shot creep just wide in the opening minutes of the first half.

Dennis would later see a goal disallowed for a foul on Towler, with this coming after a period where the Dons had begun to see more of the ball without creating many opportunities.

The hosts came very close when a low hit by Joe Tomlinson was tipped wide by Norris. But a few moments later, the hosts would equalise. A smart low pass by Carroll released Leigh, who was able to dispatch a fine shot into the net for a Dons equaliser.

This was the cue for the Dons to make six substitutions, which did affect the flow a little. But the Dons nearly had an opening as Carroll intercepted a loose pass. He found Alex Gilbey, who saw an effort denied by Norris.

Norris was then also on hand to keep out Dennis after he was able to break down the flank.

Both sides looked to push for a late winner. Norris in the Portsmouth goal did well to deny Wearne’s strike, before the same man had a shot blocked when found by a searching ball.

Portsmouth nearly won the game right at the end when Jack Tucker lost possession and substitute Callum Lang was denied by Tom McGill, as the game ended all square.

MK Dons: McGill – Sherring (Pritchard 63, Offord (Kelly 63), Maguire (Lewington 63) – Tripp, Carroll (Lewis-Burgess 84), Williams (Tucker 45), Tomlinson (Wearne 63) – Leigh (Harrison 63), Grant (Gilbey 63) – Hendry (Dennis 45)

Subs not used: Harness, Silver, Singh-Hurditt, Stirland

Goal: Leigh (62)

Booked: Carroll

Portsmouth: Norris – Williams (Swanson 79), Shaugnessy (Stevenson 79), Towler, Ogilvie – Pack, Lowery (Moxon 79) – Lane (Lang 63), Silvera (Devlin 79), Murphy (Whyte 79) – Yengi (Saydee 79)

Subs not used: Devlin

Goal: Murphy (3)

Booked: Shaugnessy

Red Bull picked up points but no podium or win from the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in the last F1 race before the summer break.

Max Verstappen initially finished 5th on the road after starting 11th due to an engine grid penalty, while Sergio Perez finished 8th despite starting on the front row, although he was able to set the fastest lap on the final lap of the race to get one bonus point.

Both drivers were then bumped up a place 2 hours after the race finished, with original race-winner George Russell seeing his Mercedes disqualified after a post-race inspection revealed the car failed the minimum weight rules.

But with both cars failing to finish on the podium, it meant Red Bull have now failed to win the last four races, which is Red Bull’s longest win drought since the 2020 season.

Verstappen finished one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, meaning that after the revised classification was published, the Dutch driver extended his lead in the Driver’s Championship. The Dutchman has 277 points after 14 races, with Norris in second 78 points behind and third place Charles Leclerc a further 22 points behind Norris.

Meanwhile, Perez had initially been jumped in the standings by Russell but the disqualification of the Mercedes driver would see the Mexican driver remain 7th. He now has 131 points, with the Red Bull driver now 144 points behind Verstappen. He is 19 points behind Lewis Hamilton, who has been promoted to race winner, and 15 points ahead of Russell.

In the Constructor’s Championship, Red Bull remain out in front with 408 points, but again saw their lead cut, with second place McLaren reducing the Milton Keynes based team’s advantage to 42 points.

A sunny race day would be the third Belgian Grand Prix in a row where Verstappen had set pole but would be using Spa to take a grid penalty for a new engine after exceeding his allocation.

Verstappen’s ten place grid penalty meant he would start from 11th, while Perez would start second after being promoted from third.

In the opening phase, Perez lost track position to Hamilton, who got past him off the line and maintained second at the end of the first lap, while Verstappen was able to avoid early trouble before making an early run past other cars to get up to 8th place.

This then saw things enter a holding pattern, with the top 4 teams closely matched on pace and little track position changes happening.

Verstappen was able to stop earlier than Norris and Carlos Sainz, allowing him to gain positions when the McLaren and Ferrari respectively made later pit stops.

Perez, meanwhile, was overtaken on track by Oscar Piastri after the first round of stops and when Verstappen gained on the Mexican, Perez was called in for an early second stop.

Verstappen had initially been trying to chase down Russell, but with the Mercedes pivoting to a surprise one-stop, the Dutchman’s race shifted to one with Norris, who had been in Verstappen’s DRS without passing since making his first stop.

This pattern continued when they stopped again, as an earlier stop again allowed Verstappen to maintain track position to Norris and despite the McLaren getting DRS, he couldn’t make a move to get through.

The same situation, however, afflicted Verstappen, who got up to Leclerc’s Ferrari and got DRS but couldn’t get enough of a speed advantage to take the place. This meant Leclerc lead home Verstappen by less than a second at the line, with Norris under a second behind, with Leclerc duly inheriting third and a podium when Russell was disqualified.

Meanwhile, Perez would lose a further track position to Sainz, and he finished 8th on track, with Red Bull making an extra pit-stop to allow him to set the fastest lap on the final lap. This would become 7th after Russell’s disqualification.