The heatwave has been responsible for as many as 760 deaths, according to official calculations, as the UK enters the sixth day of plus-30C temperatures.

UK experiences sixth consecutive day of over 30C temperatures

Severn Trent runs up £19m legal bill

In profit...

Severn Trent shares fell almost 6 per cent as it appeared increasingly likely that a £5.3bn takeover bid from the LongRiver consortium, which is made up of Ontario pension fund Omers' infrastructure arm Borealis, the Kuwaiti Investment Office and the UK Universities Superannuation Fund, would fail.

Independent on Sunday: The UK needs national talent bank

Shareholders hold firm for a third time despite £5.3bn approach for water giant

Severn Trent today rejected a foreign consortium’s second takeover bid, this time worth  £5.1 billion, saying that its board had “unanimously concluded” the offer failed to “recognise its future potential”.

In profit...

Water, gas and electricity can power your investment

Outlook The City's mouth is watering. A takeover bid for Severn Trent from a consortium of pension funds and a sovereign wealth pot is stimulating juices in the Square Mile. Large fees for investment banks and, naturally, profits for speculators are in prospect if the £5bn-odd approach to buy the water company, which unveiled its full-year results yesterday, is successful. The other two other listed water utilities could also soon be in play too, slather the bulls.

Severn Trent, the water giant which this month rejected a Canadian and Kuwaiti takeover approach, today told investors it’s worth almost £8 billion — nearly £1 billion more than the price thought to have been offered by the foreign bidders.

‘Clever Facebook’ project which hopes to entice foreign students here gets a thumbs-up