There may be blizzards in the north, but much of the UK is so gripped by drought that, from today, millions of people will be subject to draconian restrictions on their use of water

Those Walfordians must be fuming. Every year EastEnders' fabulously doomy Christmas Day episode provides the ultimate catharsis for festive viewers keen to expunge the pain of weeks of enforced jollity.

Premier Oil has struck oil at its Erne exploration well in the North Sea.

Parts of Britain face a drought next year unless there is a very wet winter the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, warned yesterday.

Tests on Rockhopper Exploration's oil find in the Falkland Islands have come in at the "upper end of expectations", the company said yesterday, sending its shares up by nearly a third.

As BP's shares headed south, BG claimed the FTSE 100 crown last night with forecast-beating results.

BG Group more than doubled the estimate of its oil and gas reserves in Brazil yesterday, sending the resources group's stock soaring nearly 5 per cent.

While heavy rains have put more than 660 reservoirs in China at risk of overflowing, in the lower reaches of the Yellow River authorities are discharging water from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir to clear sediment.

A woman was recovering today after a car crash which killed her husband, mother, and two teenage foster sons.

A man was released on police bail yesterday, after a car plunged into a reservoir in Wales on Wednesday, killing four people.

The four family members killed in a devastating mid Wales reservoir car plunge tragedy were named by the police tonight.

Superintendent Huw Meredith appeals for information after four family members died when their car plunged into a reservoir.

Britain is set to be engulfed by another spell of glorious barbecue weather over the Easter weekend - as forecasters predict one of the hottest Aprils on record.