The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a stark warning that the impending cold snap could result in fatalities among the elderly. This comes as a charity lambasts the Government’s decision to restrict winter fuel payments.
The UKHSA has put out cold weather health alerts for the entirety of England, anticipating a week of freezing temperatures. Amber alerts are in effect from 12pm on Thursday until January 8, indicating a likely increase in deaths, especially among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, according to the UKHSA.
The Met Office predicts temperatures could plunge to as low as minus 8C on Thursday night in rural southern Scotland and northern England. Rural Wales and the south west of England are also set for a chill, with minus 6C expected.
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams criticised the Government’s decision to limit the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners, stating it will be put “into sharp relief” by the cold snap. Ms Abrahams revealed that the charity had already been contacted by older people “worrying about what to do when this moment arrived”.
From this winter, only people on pension credit or certain other benefits will receive the winter fuel payments, while more than nine million others are set to lose the allowance.
The charity director said: “We urge older people to do everything they can to stay warm, even if that means risking spending more on their heating than they feel they can afford. The energy companies are under an obligation to help if you are struggling and there may be support available from your local council too.”
In the meantime, the Met Office has issued fresh weather warnings for ice in anticipation of a weekend snow blast. A yellow warning signals potential icy surfaces across northern and western Scotland, northwest England, and Northern Ireland, effective from 5pm Thursday until 10am Friday, with possible tricky travel conditions, the Met Office cautions.
An additional snow and ice warning covers parts of northern Scotland during the same period. Intermittent wintry showers will give way to longer periods of rain and sleet Thursday night, primarily over western Scotland and Northern Ireland.
As temperatures plunge below freezing overnight, there’s an increased hazard of ice on untreated roads and pavements, the forecaster outlines.
A yellow weather warning is set to cast a chill across the UK from Saturday noon until Monday 9am, sparing only the South West of England. The alert extends over most of Wales and parts of southern Scotland.
Forecasts predict around 5cm of snowfall in areas including the Midlands, Wales, and northern England, with up to 20-30cm expected on the higher terrain of Wales and the Pennines. Strong winds may cause snow drifts, while a rise in temperatures could lead to freezing rain and increased ice risks.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan cautioned: “At the moment we’ve issued a very large snow warning for Saturday until Monday but it doesn’t mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow, it’s just a heads-up there could be some impacts.”
Amid the cold snap, London councils have triggered emergency protocols to provide shelter for the homeless, marking the third activation of such measures this winter.
