BIG FREEZE
UK braces for blizzards with amber warnings in place as mercury plunges to -5C after baby killed in crash on icy road
Watch the video to see the latest weather warnings for your area
BRITS are bracing for blizzards as temperatures plunge to -5C after a seven-month-old baby was tragically killed in a crash on an icy road.
Health alerts have been issued across the UK after the Met Office issued two amber and two yellow weather warnings for snow and ice today.
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Public health bosses have issued amber alerts for the whole of England from now until January 8.
Temperatures plummeted to -5C overnight into Friday in parts of Cheshire and Somerset.
Elsewhere, those in Eskdalemuir, Scotland, experience the same sub-zero figures on Thursday night.
The mercury dropped to the lowest point overnight at -8C in Benson, Oxfordshire.
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Meanwhile, Shap in Cumbria felt temperatures of -7.4C, according to the Met Office.
It comes after a baby boy was killed in a horror crash on Thursday with police investigating whether the incident was linked to icy conditions.
Officers were called to the scene of a single-vehicle collision involving a yellow Honda Jazz on the A1 in Lincolnshire near Grantham just after 10.50pm.
The car left the southbound carriageway around 500 yards from the Spittlegate junction, hit a tree and returned to the road.
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The baby, a seven-month-old, was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead just after 5am, Lincolnshire Police said.
A statement added that police believed 'icy conditions on the carriageway' may have caused the crash.
Keeping warm and well during cold weather - advice from UK Health Security Agency
Cops warned others to "stay safe" on the roads due to dangerous conditions caused by weather.
In a statement on social media, Lincolnshire Police said: "Yellow and amber warnings in place for ice and snow over the weekend so please take extra care on our roads.
"Your braking distance may be drastically increased so leave extra space. Think slow and smooth for steering, braking and accelerating. Stay safe."
A woman also travelling in the same car suffered serious injuries but two other passengers were not seriously injured, said cops.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has also issued amber weather warnings for both snow and ice.
An amber alert for snow and ice covers most of Wales and the north of England from 6pm today until 12pm Sunday.
Those affected have been warned there will be "a good chance" of power cuts and loss of services, as well as travel disruption on roads, railways and airports.
Regions like the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Yorkshire are among those in the firing line, alongside parts of Wales and London.
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A second amber warning for northern England runs from 9pm today to midnight Sunday.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for snow across England and Wales, stretching from Newcastle down to London.
This is in place from 12pm today until midnight on Sunday.
Heavy snow is predicted to sweep across the country, with 3-7cm expected in many areas and a whopping 15-30cm over the hills of Wales and the Pennines.
Elsewhere, another yellow warning for ice covers the entirety of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland from 4pm until 10am tomorrow.
Up to 30cm of snowfall is expected locally in both warning areas, with three to 7cm likely in other areas.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “The snow will be persistent and locally heavy, with freezing rain bringing hazardous travel conditions before milder air starts to thaw things out on Sunday morning.”
The UK Health Security Agency warned a rise in deaths is likely, particularly among the elderly and people with health problems.
NHS bosses in the West Midlands have warned locals not to go out early in the morning or late at night, when frost will be thick.
They said people should keep hands free and wear shoes with a good grip.
Herefordshire residents have been urged to stock up on food and medicine and to seal up draughts in their homes.
Meanwhile, London councils yesterday activated an emergency accommodation protocol for people sleeping rough in freezing conditions.
The emergency measures, which see extra beds made available, have been active for three nights so far this winter.
WINTRY WEATHER
The Met Office has warned people to be prepared and aware when travelling with longer journey times likely.
Railways are likely to experience delays or cancellations, with National Rail confirming that various routes across the UK are impacted.
Poor weather is currently affecting National Rail's Northern and ScotRail services.
In Wales, buses are replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
There could be icy surfaces in northern and western Scotland, the north west of England and Northern Ireland.
Motorists and pedestrians alike are warned to be wary of icy patches on untreated roads, pavements, or cycle paths.
A major incident declared in Greater Manchester on Wednesday because of flooding has been stood down.
Areas affected by the amber alert
Regions and Local Authorities Affected:
East Midlands
- Derbyshire
- Lincolnshire
- Nottinghamshire
North East England
- Darlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Northumberland
- Stockton-on-Tees
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
West Midlands
- Staffordshire
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- North Lincolnshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- York
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
London & South East England
- Buckinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
South West England
- Gloucestershire
- South Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire
Emergency services and partners now focusing on recovery efforts and there have been no casualties or reports of serious injuries.
Conditions should become a little warmer over the weekend before cold snap sets in again early next week.
Met Office expert Dan Stroud said: "The second half of the weekend should be in the high singles or low doubles.
"But temperatures will dive again next week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday.
"They should start to improve towards the latter end of the week - but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge until then."
Age UK chief Caroline Abrahams said pensioners will struggle in the cold snap after the government slashed the winter fuel allowance.
Ms Abrahams said OAPs had already contacted the charity "worrying about what to do when this moment arrived".
She said 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."
Abrahams added: "There may be support available from your local council too."
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From this winter, only people on pension credit or certain other benefits will receive the winter fuel payments.
More than nine million others are set to be stripped of the allowance under the new rules.
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