Heatwave service updates (22 to 26 June 2026)
With severe heat warnings forecast for West Northamptonshire, find out how various services may be affected.
School closures
There are schools that have notified us about current closures or partial closures.
Please note that this is an exception. It is still the responsibility of the school or academy to notify of a closure via their website.
- Daventry Hill
- Fairfield's
- Greenfields Specialist School
- Kings Meadow
- Magdalen
- On Track Northampton
- Kings Sutton Primary
- Arc School Ansley
- Bloxham Grove Academy
- Frank wise School
- Parker E-ACT
- Purple Oaks
- Hunsbury Chiltern Site
- Hunsbury Park
- EWS sites
- Northgate and The Beehive
- Campion
- Quorn Hall School
Please contact the schools directly for further information on whether it is affected by the severe weather.
Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs)
Due to the current extreme heat and health alert, all HWRCs in West Northants will close at 1pm each day on Wednesday 24 June, Thursday 25 June and Friday 26 June.
The council has taken this decision to help protect the safety and wellbeing of visitors and staff.
We expect sites to return to normal operational hours from Saturday 27 June. We will update this message with the latest news. We thank residents for your understanding.
To book a slot at one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres, visit our HWRC booking page.
You must book in advance before you visit.
Bin collections
Our waste and recycling collection crews will start their rounds earlier from Tuesday 23 to Friday 26 June.
Please put your bins out the night before your collection is due to avoid being missed.
We were unable to complete recycling collections in Long Buckby yesterday.
We plan to start collecting the missed recycling today. However, depending on progress and other demands, collections may continue into Friday or Saturday.
Please leave your recycling bins out until they have been collected.
Look out for further updates on the West Northamptonshire App.
Family Hubs
Some sessions at our Family Hubs may be cancelled due to weather conditions. If you have booked a session this week, please check your email for any updates.
Rough sleepers
Our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been activated in response to the Met Office’s forecast of high temperatures.
Individuals who are sleeping rough across the West Northamptonshire area will be advised on how to access daytime shelter. Provision will be available daily from 9am until 8pm.
In Northampton, The Hope Centre will be open to provide this support at 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday evening.
Outreach teams will also be active across West Northamptonshire from 7am until 4pm, providing welfare support, distributing water, and handing out sun lotion to those in need.
The team can be contacted directly by emailing [email protected].
All WNC-managed libraries will be provided with bottled water for rough sleepers during this time.
All known rough sleepers are being contacted and provided with details of how to access the emergency provision. If you know someone who is sleeping rough in West Northants and requires further information, please advise them to contact us on 0300 126 7000.
The whereabouts and identity of any rough sleeper’s location can be reported to the Rough Sleeping Team during office hours via StreetLink and to our Out of Hours Emergency Service at all other times (0300 126 7000).
Welcoming spaces
If you need to cool off during the hot weather, some of our welcoming spaces which have air conditioning or fans include:
| Venue | Address | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
| Daventry: Daventry Community Larder | Daventry Southbrook, Community Centre, Hood Road, Daventry, NN11 4JS | Email: [email protected] Website: Daventry Community Larder |
| Daventry: Daventry Leisure Centre | Lodge Road, Daventry, NN11 4FP | Website: Daventry Leisure Centre |
| Northampton: Duston Sports Centre | Cotswold Avenue, Northampton, NN5 6EX | Email: [email protected] |
| Northampton: Restore Northampton | 42 Sheep Street, Northampton, NN1 2LZ | Telephone: 01604 328046 Email: [email protected] Website: Restore Northampton |
| Northampton: Springs Family | The Life Centre, 9 Tower Street, Northampton, NN1 2SN | Email: [email protected] Website: Springs Family |
| Northampton: Weston Favell Library | Weston Favell Centre, Northampton, NN3 8JZ | Email: [email protected] Website: Weston Favell Library |
| Northampton: Wootton Community and Sports Centre | Curtlee Hill, Wootton, Northampton, NN4 6ED | Website: Wootton Parish Council |
| Woodford Halse: Woodford Halse Library | Village Hall, Woodford Halse, NN11 3RL | Email: [email protected] Website: Woodford Halse Library |
Environmental protection
Due to extreme heat, environmental health officers will attend only planned or emergency appointments this week.
Highways
While our roads should cope through much of the coming heatwave, surface temperatures are expected to reach up to 60 degrees Celsius at points.
We have arrangements for dust dressing roads which should help deal with some of this, but motorists might experience issues with melting tarmac.
We would urge people to try and avoid journeys at peak temperatures and take extra care if they absolutely must drive somewhere.
During the hottest points during the coming days, it might be hazardous for some of our staff to carry out highways work, meaning some planned work might be postponed.
Hot weather advice
We have produced a Heat Health toolkit for advice and top tips.
Met Office weather warnings will allow you to stay up to date with heat warnings across West Northamptonshire.
Last updated 25 June 2026