Updated: Met Office issues red heat-health alert

This has now been extended to 11pm on Friday 26 June 2026.

The Met Office has issued a red heat-health alert for Solihull from 9:00am on Wednesday 24 June 2026 until 9:00pm on Thursday 25 June 2026. GPs and Public Health in Solihull are strongly urging people to take care of themselves and others in the current extreme heat conditions. 

A red heat-health alert indicates that a severe heatwave could have impacts beyond health and social care with potential effects on transport systems, food, water, energy supplies and businesses, and indicates a risk to life for even the healthy population.

The vulnerable and those who are at-risk are more likely to suffer in the heat and could become seriously ill with health complications. However, in these conditions anyone could be at risk.

Take care of yourself

• The recent hot weather is forecast to continue for the foreseeable future leading to calls for people to look out for the vulnerable.
• Although welcomed by most, hot weather can cause a real danger to health particularly to the very elderly and the seriously ill.
• People with existing medical conditions and the very young are also potentially at risk during the warm spell.

Whilst we want everyone to enjoy this warm weather, it is important that we all take simple steps to help us stay healthy at this time. 

People who are elderly, the very young and those with chronic conditions are more at risk, so we urge you to check on vulnerable friends and neighbours every day during the heatwave. 

For help and advice, please call the Solihull Helpline on 0121 704 8080. 

Stay hydrated

It is easy to become dehydrated in hot weather as we can soon lose more fluid than we take in, and even people at the peak of physical fitness can become ill if they are not careful. To keep hydrated: 

• drink cold non-alcoholic drinks regularly
• keep out of the sun during the hottest times of the day (between 11:00am and 3:00pm)
• avoid physical exertion in the heat where possible 

Top tips to keep cool

Below are some tips to keep yourself and others cool and what to do if someone feels unwell.

Stay out of the heat

• Stay out of the sun and don’t go out between 11:00am and 3:00pm (the hottest part of the day), especially if you’re vulnerable to the effects of heat.
• Take a bottle of water with you when out and about and especially when travelling by car or public transport.
• Wear loose, light coloured, cotton clothing, and a hat if you do go outdoors.
• Spend time in the shade and avoid strenuous physical activity.
• Plan ahead so that you don’t have to go out in extreme heat by making sure you have enough supplies, food, water and any medications you need. Ask a friend or relative to help you stock up if you’re vulnerable to the effects of heat. 
• Stay tuned to the weather forecast on the radio or TV, or at the Met Office website. 

Cool yourself down

• Have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool (but not very cold) water, or place a damp cloth on the back of your neck to cool down.
• Drink cold drinks regularly, such as water and fruit juice, even if you’re not thirsty. Try to avoid tea, coffee and alcohol.
• Eat normally even though you may not be as hungry, you need a normal diet to replace salt losses from sweating. Try to have more cold foods, such as salads and fruit, as these contain a lot of water.

Keep your environment cool

• Turn off non-essential lights and electrical equipment – they generate heat. 
• Identify the coolest room in the house so you know where to go to keep cool. Try to sleep in the coolest room too. 
• Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. If it’s safe, open them for ventilation when it is cooler.
• Keep rooms cool by keeping curtains closed while it’s hot outside (use light-coloured curtains if possible, as metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter).
• Electric fans may provide some relief, however, at temperatures above 35°C they may cause dehydration. The advice is not to aim the fan directly on the body and to have regular drinks. 

Look out for others

• Check up on friends, relatives and neighbours who may be less able to look after themselves every day during a heatwave. Make sure they have supplies of food, water and their normal medication. 
• Ensure that babies, children or elderly people are not left alone in stationary cars. 

Seek advice if you have any concerns

• People with heart problems, breathing difficulties or serious illnesses may find their symptoms become worse in hot weather, so make sure you have enough medicines in stock and take extra care to keep cool. Contact your GP if your symptoms become worse. 
• Contact your doctor, a pharmacist or NHS 111 if you are worried about your health or someone else’s health during a heatwave, especially if you are taking medication, if you feel unwell or have any unusual symptoms. 

Take extra care with food

When it’s hot, bacteria on food can multiply very quickly, which increases the risk of food poisoning. So, it’s important to make sure food is: 

• kept in cooler bags when taking it home from the supermarket or out for a picnic 
• not left in hot cars and put in the fridge as soon as you get home – the temperature of the fridge should be between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius 
• kept out of the sun 
• only out of the fridge for the shortest time possible – no more than a couple of hours 

Take care with bins and waste

Bins and waste can attract flies and maggots and start to smell in the heat, so make sure you: 

• move bins out of direct sunlight and keep their lids closed at all times 
• double bag food waste and nappies and squeeze the air out of the top of the bags before you tie them 
• clean bins with disinfectant after they have been emptied – you can pour boiling water over them to kill any maggots 
• recycle as much as possible to reduce waste 

Looking after pets

Your pets and other animals can also suffer heatstroke in hot weather if they don’t keep cool.  

Never leave animals inside a car on a hot day and make sure they have: 

• plenty of clean, fresh water to drink 
• a cool and shady place to rest 

It’s also important to cover pet food dishes to prevent flies laying eggs on the food. 

Contact a vet if you are worried that an animal is suffering from heatstroke. 

More information about looking after dogs in hot weather is on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) website.

Please see below, details of an emergency road closure:

Works on behalf of: Severn Trent Water.

Reason for closure:  Short Comm pipe Renew 25mm – visible leak.

Name of road and extent affected: OUTSIDE 1A Kineton Lane, Hockley Heath.

Dates and times of closure: 23/06/26-26/06/26 at 16.00hrs.

Access for emergency services can be maintained: YES.

Contact Name: STW West Scheduling Team.

Contact Details: 02079494510.

Plan of works attached: No.

Hello Hockley Heath   Next week is Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, and at Neighbourhood Watch Network we are delighted to be hosting not one, but two informative webinars.   Our members and communities consistently tell us that ASB is one of the issues that most affects them and their neighbours, which is why we are proud to support this important awareness week.   We are pleased to welcome national charity ASB Help, alongside our CEO, John, who will be presenting at our ASB Awareness Week webinars taking place next week.   Places are still available for both online events. Webinars are online and via Zoom.   To secure your FREE place, simply click on the webinar you would like to attend and complete your registration.       We look forward to welcoming you.   Best wishes   Neighbourhood Watch Network

Apologies for any inconvenience

ASB Action Plan Have you read our ASB action plan yet?      Dear residents of Dorridge & Hockley Heath,    You might remember that we reached out to you earlier in the year asking you to complete our antisocial behaviour (ASB) survey.     We want to thank every single person who responded to the survey or replied to our WMNow messages. All your responses have now been collated, analysed and fed into local policing ASB plans that has now been shared with your Commander and local authorities.    Every police force across England and Wales creates an ASB action plan. The plans explain how each police force intends to reduce and prevent ASB.    You can find our force-wide ASB plan here. We’ve also attached a simple infographic on the 10-points of our plan below.     The aim of the plan is to make your communities safer by stopping, preventing, and responding to ASB more effectively.  The action plan details how we will work with partners, like the Council, to identify issues. We’ve also included how we intend to solve these challenges from 2026 onwards.  A key objective of the plan is to have a victim and harm-focused approach to ASB. This means that the victims’ needs are always put first. To do this, we want to create strong partnerships that allow us to gather and use local knowledge better.     Superintendent Simon Inglis, the force’s lead for antisocial behaviour, said: “Thank you to everyone who shared or filled in our Action on ASB survey. We had just under 13K responses from across the West Midlands, which is a staggering amount and believed to be the highest response rate for any force across the UK.   “While we may know where and when it is occurring, we now know more about how ASB makes people feel, the impact it has on local communities, and how we can deal with it more effectively.      “Our ASB plan is here, and we want you to use it. We encourage you to continually talk to your local police officers about ASB concerns or issues in your area”.    “I will be updating the ASB plan with specific actions, operations, and processes the force has done to work towards each of the 10-points on the plan, so do check back in via our website for updates.    “Thank you again for contributing to our ASB plan. Remember you can always report ASB to us in-person, online, and via 101. ”  For more information about ASB and how to report, click here.    You can also view the ASB plan here.  Message Sent By Faye Payne 31879 (POLICE, PCSO, Solihull Rural’s)

Accessibility Statement: A bright, cheerful poster promoting the Hockley Heath Drop‑In Café. The design features a sunny blue sky with flowers and butterflies around the edges. Text in bold blue and red announces the event at The Pavilion Hall, Hockley Heath Recreation Ground, running from 10am to 12 noon. Upcoming dates are 9 June, 23 June, and 7 July. The poster highlights homemade cake, tea and coffee, cold drinks, and a friendly chat and warm welcome. At the bottom, there are illustrations of a slice of cake with berries, a cup of tea, and a glass of iced drink. The message invites everyone to “Pop in for a relaxed morning with neighbours and friends – everyone’s welcome!”

Dear Hockley Heath,   If you, your family members or friends, are heading into the city today to celebrate the Aston Villa Europa League Win we want to share this message with you for your safety. We’d like to congratulate Aston Villa’s players, staff and fans following their Europa League win last night. Along with partners including the club and the local authority, we have been planning ahead of the parade through the city today (21 May). To help the parade go ahead safely and securely, we will have an increased police presence in Birmingham city centre around the parade route. This includes our neighbourhood teams, mounted officers, roads policing, drones and dog units.   Chief Superintendent Kim Madill, in charge of the policing operation, said: “We want this to be a joyous occasion, and we want to add our congratulations to the players and staff from the club after their victory. “We want everyone to get involved in the celebrations and enjoy the day safely. “In addition to uniformed officers, we’ve also had teams out and about in the lead up to Thursday to let business and others know how they might be impacted. “If you have any concerns or if you see anything that doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and let our officers know straight away and we will deal with it.” As part of our work around the event, you’ll also see Project Servator deployments taking place regularly and unpredictably across Birmingham, so there’s nothing to worry about if you see extra police officers in the city. Specialist Project Servator deployments use both uniformed and plain clothes police officers to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance or be about to commit a crime.  Officers work with local businesses and members of the public to create a network of vigilance and provide a reassuring presence for football fans and those living, working and visiting the city. You can play your part by trusting your instincts, and if you see or hear something that doesn’t feel right, tell security or police straight away. Our teams will take every report seriously and you won’t be wasting their time. In an emergency, always call 999.  Remember, our police horses should be respected and not antagonised. Before you approach one of our horses, ask permission from the rider and stay where they can see you. Always make sure children are accompanied while interacting with the horses and riders and always wash your hands if you touch them. You must only touch the rider in an emergency. You may be committing a criminal offence if you touch the rider in any other circumstances.  For full details of the parade route and road closures during the event, visit the Birmingham City Council and Aston Villa website and social media channels.

Monthly News Letter – Dorridge & Hockley Heath

Good Evening from the Solihull Rural’s Neighbourhood Policing Team,     Our team are hard at work preventing crime and keeping our communities safe. If you have any local information to support us with this, please email the Rural’s Neighbourhood Policing Team inbox on rural@westmidlands.police.uk .  Please be aware that this inbox is NOT monitored 24 hours a day and is purely for non-emergencies. In an emergency please call 999. To report a crime in a non-emergency situation please call 101 or visit Report a crime | West Midlands Police to do this online.  The Rural’s Team will also keep you updated on their activity using X (previously known as Twitter). Please follow our team on X using the following username: @RuralsWMP   Local crime Below is a snapshot of the vehicle crime and burglaries that have been recorded in the Dorridge & Hockley Heath area between the 13th April 2026 – 18th April 2026.    Burglaries: ·  Residential burglary of a home – Needhill Close, BENTLEY HEATH –  x4 unknown offenders have attended the incident location in a Silver Audi (VRM: YS18OKX). They have jumped into the victim’s garden via the side gate which was unlocked and then smashed the back door. They have then completed an untidy search of the bedrooms and stolen approximately £1000 worth of jewellery. They have then made good their escape. ·  Residential burglary of unconnected building – SCHOOL ROAD, HOCKLEY HEATH – Unknown offenders have entered victim’s gated rear garden and snapped the padlock to a shed and then stole a ride-on lawnmower from the shed. Offenders made good their escape via unknown direction.     Vehicle crime: ·   Theft of motor vehicle – GRANGE ROAD, DORRIDGE – unknown offender has gained access to parked, locked and unattended motor vehicle by unknown means while parked at offence location. Offender has then stolen the vehicle and made off in an unknown direction ·  Theft of motor vehicle – WESTFIELD ROAD, DORRIDGE – unknown offenders have approached a locked vehicle and opened it using a possible relay device. The vehicle has been located in KINGS NORTON by officers on patrol. Officers have attended the home address and made the owners aware that car has been stolen. ·  Theft of motor vehicle – HANSELL DRIVE, DORRIDGE – person(s) unknown stole locked, parked and unattended motor vehicle from location by means unknown and made good their escape in unknown direction.  *** Police have acknowledged a noticeable rise in both burglaries and vehicle-related crime across the area in recent weeks. In response, they have increased patrols, particularly during peak times when these offences are more likely to occur. Officers are being deployed more visibly in residential neighbourhoods and known hotspots, with the aim of deterring criminal activity and reassuring the community. Alongside these efforts, police are also encouraging residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious behaviour, and take practical steps to secure their homes and vehicles. This coordinated approach is intended to both prevent further incidents and support ongoing investigations*** Crime prevention advice –  Please consider purchasing a steering wheel lock for your vehicle. This will decrease the chances of your vehicle being targeted by offenders. Also remember to double check that your vehicle is locked, before leaving it unattended. Installing an immobiliser and covert tracking device will also increase the chance of getting your vehicle back should it be stolen. –  Please don’t leave valuable items on show inside your vehicle. Even loose change can be appealing to vehicle offenders. – Consider installing anti-snap locks to all external windows and doors on your home. This will make it more difficult for potential burglars to gain access to your home. Installing a monitored burglar alarm is also a great deterrent. Try to make the front and rear of your property as well-lit as possible by installing motion activated lighting. – CCTV is a great deterrent for offenders. This can also be crucial in linking criminals to multiple crimes. – Consider purchasing anti-tamper number plate screws to secure your vehicle registration to your vehicle. Bare in mind that if you have a personalised plate, anti-tamper screws will make it very difficult to remove the plate if needed.        CCTV REGISTRY We need more people to register their home or business CCTV and doorbell cameras to help solve crime by providing footage when alerted. Register your CCTV or doorbell cameras at: CCTV Registry | West Midlands Police     How it works in three steps: 1. Register your cameras securely in 60 seconds 2. You will receive a text or email when a crime happens near your home or business and our officers believe your CCTV may have recorded the incident 3. Upload the images via the secure link contained in the message       Dates for your diary    ·  Thursday 7th May 2026 – 11:00 – 12:00 – Dorridge & Hockley Heath Beat Surgery at The King George Memorial Hall, Hockley Heath. This is an opportunity for local residents to pop along and chat with your local PCSO’s/ Police Officers about the crime that is happening in the area. Its also an opportunity for you to discuss any worries/ concerns you have about the village.  ·   Sunday 26th April – St Georges Day Parade – Knowle High Street – 12:00 – 14:00. ·   Sunday 17th May – KNOWLE FUN RUN      Thank you for your continued support Kind regards PCSO  Faye Payne 31879  Solihull Rural’s Neighbourhood Policing Team

The Parish Council have been contacted by the agent acting on behalf of St Philips, regarding Land East of Stratford Road, Hockley Heath:

“St Philips has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping request to Warwick District Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council for land east of Stratford Road in Hockley Heath. This reflects the fact that while the majority of the site lies within WDC, a small section adjacent to Stratford Road falls within SMBC. The request has now been validated and is available to view on the Council’s planning portal.

St Philips has been promoting the site through the South Warwickshire Local Plan process, which identified the site in the SWLP Preferred Options consultation. Alongside early technical work, we are engaging with Warwickshire County Council to understand whether there may be a requirement for a new primary school in this part of the District, which the site could accommodate. In line with national policy for Grey Belt development, the site will also offer a 40% provision of affordable housing, helping local people to access high-quality homes in Hockley Heath.

A short project webpage has been published to explain the EIA process and provide updates as the work progresses: stratfordroadhockleyheath.co.uk.

As the proposals develop further, we intend to launch a public consultation in due course so that the local community can provide feedback”.