The UK is set to welcome a heatwave in June, with forecasts predicting around 16 days of consecutive 20°C sunshine.
It’s safe to say that 2021 has been a mixed bag so far when it comes to the weather.
We’ve had cold snaps, with heavy frost and snow, in January and February, and some uncharacteristic warm weather towards the latter end of March and much of April – which was welcomed with open arms by the hospitality sector as it reopened for outdoor service only from 12th April – but of course, we’ve also had our fare share of torrential downpours throughout – including the showers, thunderstorms and flood risks that have stuck around over last seven days.
But now, as the temperatures continue to climb and we head into the summer season, things are finally starting to look up.
The 16-day hot streak is forecast to start on 15th June and end on 1st July, which many will have clocked falls nicely around the time that the UK government is aiming to remove all social restrictions as part of the roadmap to lifting England’s current national lockdown on 21st June, so it’s something to pencil in your diaries.
Pixabay
While advance forecasts are always subject to change, as it stands, only a few days of rain are expected in June, which already makes a nice change from some of the May weather we’ve had to put up with.
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Sadly though, the rest of this month isn’t particularly looking that good.
According to the Met Office, the last couple of weeks of May have been described as “cold” in the north of England, with heavy showers punctuating most days.
The forecast reads: “Unsettled conditions continuing, with scattered showers again developing across most areas.
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“To start the period, these may be heavy, and at times wintry in the far north, especially over hills [and] further into this period, it is likely to remain changeable with a mixture of sunshine and scattered showers, though heavy in places with a risk of thunder.
“Brief spells of more organised cloud, bringing rain and strong winds, remain possible, particularly in the south.
“Generally staying breezy throughout.
“While temperatures by night are likely to be below average, frost is expected to be restricted to prone locations, especially where winds fall light [and] by day, temperatures are likely to be around or slightly below average, notably cool in the south but cold in the north”.
You can find more forecasts via the Met Office website here.
Featured Image – Stacey MacNaught
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Tesco are introducing ‘VAR-style’ self-checkouts in the UK
Danny Jones
Many people think VAR has already gone too far and want it gone from football full stop, and we’re here to tell you that you’re a fool; your hopes are in vain, and the technology is only going to become more common as time goes on. Sorry.
So much so, in fact, that Tesco look are bringing in their own virtual referee into self-checkout systems in shops. You could say the ‘game’s gone…’
Of course, we’re being a bit flippant here, but if you have seen ‘VAR’ and ‘Tesco‘, you’re not seeing things: this is genuinely a thing that is being rolled out here in the UK, with video footage of the supermarket chain’s next self-checkout technology going viral online.
Thought you’d got away with sneaking an extra little something in the bag without paying? Think again.
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) May 28, 2025
We’ll admit, this was the first time we’d come across the technology, but as it turns out, the updated self-checkout service has been in place for a while.
Similar VAR checkouts have already been installed at other retailers, Sainsbury’s and ASDA, although some reports claim that while stores capture footage of shoppers to check if they’ve scanned all of their items, it is thought that not all of these self-service tills show a playback when an error is detected.
Although this particular speculation has sparked some uproar and debate online, many have quite rightly pointed out that CCTV records your movement in any given shop.
Regardless, it’s fair to say that aside from the obvious memes and people poking fun at the new system, many on social media have shared some pretty strong opinions on the matter.
Not that it matters much – it’s likely this will soon become increasingly the norm, with the likes of Sainsbury’s having already introduced barriers which require customers to scan their receipt in order to leave at branches such as the site on Regent Road Retail Park over in Salford.
As yet, it’s unclear how many of these new self-service tills are in operation and whether they are limited to larger supermarket locations of their Express convenience stores, but don’t be surprised if you come across one.
Put simply, if a barcode isn’t registered before being put on the scale and/or set aside to be packed away, the Tesco till will read: “The last item wasn’t scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again.”
Addressing these new VAR-style checkouts in an official statement, a company spokesperson said: “We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
“We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier.”
What do you make of the new Tesco and their new VAR self-checkout technology?
Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.
The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.
Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.
In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.
It’s the end and that’s it. Man United got boo’ed by the fans after the final whistle.
They got beaten by non-full team Asean All-Star who just trained together as a group few days before the match. pic.twitter.com/fBxnMiZPN8
For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.
All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.
He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”
Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.
Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.
United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.
You can see his full post-match press conference down below.
Emily Sergeant -
17th May 2021 
