Temperatures are expected to fall as low as minus 8C overnight as a week-long spell of wintry conditions hits the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold weather health alerts for all of England ahead of a week of low temperatures.

Amber alerts have been issued from 12pm on Thursday until January 8, meaning a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, is likely, the UKHSA said.

Temperatures had been expected to fall as low as minus 8C in rural Scotland and northern England on Thursday night.

The Met Office also forecast cold weather in parts of Wales and rural spots in southern England, with between minus 4C and minus 5C expected.

Dan Stroud, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There’ll be widespread frost across the country (overnight), from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

“It will be comfortably below where we should be for this time of year and I would expect temperatures to hit minus 8C in parts of Scotland.”

Mr Stroud confirmed conditions should become warmer by the end of this weekend before cold weather strikes again early next week.

He 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.”

The NHS Black Country integrated care board has warned the public to “avoid going out early when the frost is thick or late at night when it’s dark”, adding people should keep hands free and wear shoes with a good grip.

In Herefordshire, the Wye Valley NHS Trust told people to “have sufficient food and medicine and take measures to reduce draughts in your home”.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the Government’s decision to limit the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners will be put “into sharp relief” by the cold snap.

Ms Abrahams said 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 be stripped of 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.”
Meanwhile, fresh weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for ice ahead of a blast of snow over the weekend.

The yellow warning indicates there could be icy surfaces in northern and western Scotland, the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

It will remain in place from 5pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday morning, and could make for difficult travelling conditions, the forecaster warned.

A snow and ice warning is also in place covering parts of northern Scotland between 4pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday.

A yellow warning is in place from noon on Saturday until 9am on Monday and covers all regions of England, other than the South West, the majority of Wales and parts of southern Scotland.

About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales and the Pennines, the forecaster added.

Strong winds could lead to snow drifts in some areas, and freezing rain as temperatures creep up could add to the risk of ice.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “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.”

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 England, Scotland and Wales 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.

The yellow warning indicates there could be icy surfaces in northern and western Scotland, the north-west of England and Northern Ireland, so motorists and pedestrians alike are warned to be wary of icy patches on untreated roads, pavements, or cycle paths.

On Thursday, London councils 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.

A major incident declared in Greater Manchester on Wednesday because of flooding has been stood down, with emergency services and partners now focusing on recovery efforts.

There have been no casualties or reports of serious injuries.