UK weather: People urged to heat main rooms as temperatures to plunge

Forecasters warn of travel delays as health authorities urge caution for those at risk from cold weather

People have been urged to heat the main rooms in their house as the Met Office issued a fresh flurry of weather warnings across the UK and temperatures plunge.

A blast of Arctic wind could see thermometers plummet below -10C in the coming days, and yellow weather alerts had already been issued in northern Scotland and along England’s northeastern coast for Wednesday and Thursday.

But on Wednesday morning, the national forecaster brought forward its alerts for ice in Wales and Northern Ireland, which had been due to come into force at midnight – but will now be in effect from 5pm this evening.

An additional alert has also been announced in the South West, covering large parts of Cornwall and Devon.

In affected areas, the Met Office is warning that there could be some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, with icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

As a result, some roads and railways may be affected with longer journey times for bus and train services.

The UK Health Security Agency is also advising that people heat their homes to at least 18C where possible, and has issued its second-highest cold weather alert, meaning that social and healthcare services will take action to protect high-risk groups.

Forecasters predict that daytime temperatures will struggle to rise above 0C for large parts of the UK this week, with as much as 4 inches of snow expected in elevated parts of Scotland.

A map of the weather alerts issued for Wednesday and Thursday (Met Office screengrab)

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has activated the capital’s emergency protocol for rough sleepers in the capital for the first time this winter, in an effort to shield the city’s homeless from the dangerously cold weather.

Sheffield City Council, meanwhile, has declared a “major incident”, after thousands of residents were left to face the cold snap without central heating or hot water in their homes as a result of a burst water main.

“Day-to-day, we are in cold conditions already with that north-easterly flow, but conditions are set to get colder through the week, with the worst showers across northern Scotland but also bringing much colder conditions across all the UK,” Met Office meteorologist Oli Claydon said on Tuesday.

“Overnight lows of -10 to -11C [are expected] in areas where we do get snow in those rural parts of Scotland, with temperatures down to minus six (21.2F) in rural England.

“Cold conditions to remain through the weekend. Signs of warmer weather moving in from the southwest from Tuesday next week. But the signs are that the cold weather will hold in the north of the UK, so there will be a split between north and south.”

Additional reporting by PA