UK weather: Drivers warned of risks as Arctic blast begins

Motorists are being advised to support lukewarm clothes, blankets and flasks of beverage successful their vehicles arsenic a acold drawback begins crossed the UK.

The RAC said radical driving successful frosty, icy conditions should hole to support lukewarm successful the lawsuit of breakdowns, which are expected to surge this week.

Temperatures arsenic debased arsenic -10C (14F) are predicted overnight successful isolated places, with -6C elsewhere.

A terrible acold upwind alert for England is successful spot until Monday.

Issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the level 3 alert runs from 18:00 GMT until 09:00 connected 12 December and signals conditions are apt to impact people's health.

The authorities is expected to corroborate aboriginal connected Wednesday whether the existent acold drawback volition trigger acold upwind enactment payments for millions of eligible people.

The Met Office said further terrible upwind warnings mightiness beryllium needed arsenic the week progresses.

Current forecasts foretell unseasonable temperatures, good beneath mean for the clip of year, successful galore places into adjacent week.

England's eastbound seashore has a yellowish warning, for ice, from 18:00 GMT until 12:00 connected Thursday - with temperatures acceptable to driblet arsenic debased arsenic -3C (26.6F).

Met Office main meteorologist Steve Willington said: "UK temperatures volition autumn with wide overnight frosts, terrible successful places, and daytime temperatures lone a fewer degrees supra freezing.

"However, the acold aerial from the Arctic volition besides bring brighter conditions, with immoderate dry, sunny spells, peculiarly distant from the coast, and wherever winds are light, it could consciousness pleasant successful the sunshine.

"Some patchy freezing fog is besides likely. "

Babies and children nether 5 are much astatine hazard successful acold weather.

One of the champion ways to support babies lukewarm is to usage layers, the NHS advises connected its website.

At nighttime it is amended to set the somesthesia by utilizing a fig of lightweight blankets.

Health officials person urged radical to vigor the rooms they usage most, successful effect to concerns that mounting vigor costs could forestall immoderate radical from switching connected their heating.

In Natalie McNab's surviving country successful County Durham, a ember occurrence glows cosily. But the remainder of the location is chilly.

The mum-of-three explained that the cardinal heating "just isn't going on". Instead, she is keeping 1 country lukewarm for her household by time and turns connected lipid heaters for the kids overnight.

Her girl has an receptor corruption she is struggling to shift. "I consciousness incredibly blameworthy arsenic a mam, I'd emotion to enactment the heating connected 24/7," she said. "We're trying arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin to mitigate the rises and penny pinch wherever we can, but it's lone going to get worse," Natalie added.

She explained that, since some she and her hubby are successful enactment and not connected benefits, they are not eligible for overmuch of the other enactment available.

The UKHSA reiterated its long-standing proposal for radical who cannot vigor each country - saying they should lukewarm the surviving country during the time and bedrooms conscionable earlier going to sleep, ideally to astatine slightest 18C.

Dr Agostinho Sousa of the UKHSA said: "Cold upwind tin person superior consequences for health, and older radical and those with bosom oregon lung conditions tin beryllium peculiarly astatine risk.

"If you person a pre-existing aesculapian condition, you should vigor your location to a somesthesia that is comfy for you."

The acold upwind alert for England besides requires wellness attraction providers to activate peculiar plans, specified arsenic arranging gritting services to let entree to captious services and to screen pedestrian hotspots.

But galore section councils successful England and Wales - who person collectively stockpiled 1.4 cardinal tonnes of brackish for this wintertime - said they were struggling to pull and clasp gritter drivers.

How are you keeping warm? Share your experiences, tips and questions by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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