UK weather live: Storm Bert to bring 70mph winds and batter Britain with heavy snow, Met Office warns

This week’s chilly snowy conditions have caused school closures, train cancellations and road delays in parts of the UK – but what impact could it have on our health?

Highlighting some of the consequences of cold weather, Age UK director Caroline Abrahams told PA: “The cold raises blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and breathing in cold air can also increase the risk, and impact, of serious illnesses like flu and pneumonia.”

But how does the wintry weather increase our blood pressure, and is there anything we can do to manage this?

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Charities have warned of the impact of the cold weather on society’s most vulnerable people as the UK experiences what the Met Office has called “the first taste of winter”.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season this week and, along with charity Age UK, warned that the conditions could be dangerous for vulnerable people, including the elderly.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the charity was worried that the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment has caused many older people to be “extra fearful” about turning on their heating this winter.

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The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning between 7am on Saturday until 5pm.

The forecaster has warned there may be:

• Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers
• Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
• There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off
• Some delays and cancellations to rail travel are likely
• Untreated pavements and cycle paths likely to be impassable
• Injuries from slips and falls are likely on icy surfaces

The Met Office has warned that snow showers in the north of England could bring the risk of ice on untreated surfaces.

In a tweet, the forecaster said: “Snow across southern England will ease during the rest of this afternoon.

“Northern districts will see further snow showers drifting in, bringing an ice risk on untreated surfaces Prolonged areas of sunshine for many others, though still feeling cold.”

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

“Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week.

“On Thursday, a mixture of snow, sleet and rain is likely to affect the South West, which could potentially bring disruption. It’s likely high ground in the area will see snow, with a mixture of conditions likely at lower levels.”

The homelessness charity St Mungo’s has warned that rough sleeping in cold weather conditions can kill people, as they offer more emergency beds.

Energy companies will spend a combined £500 million to help customers struggling with energy bills this winter after talks with the Government.

Companies will lend money to people to help cover costs, reduce standing charges, which make up a segment of all energy bills, and help fund a national debt advice campaign.

Ministers have been looking for ways to reduce the impact of cutting winter fuel payments for about 10 million elderly people, which officials estimate will push 100,000 pensioners into relative poverty this decade.

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The Met Office has already confirmed the storm names to be used across 2024 and 2025 - as the UK braces for Storm Bert.

The new storms list – first launched in 2015 – for each year generally runs from early September until late August the following year, coinciding with the beginning of autumn.

James, Lewis and Mavis are all included in the new list in honour of figures from the Met Office’s 170-year history.

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More than 114 schools are shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday due to snow, including Inverness Royal Academy where pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the day will be rescheduled.

Almost 40 schools in Aberdeenshire are also shut while many others had delayed openings, and in Moray around 12 are closed and others opened late.

It comes after more than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland on Wednesday because of the weather.

South of the border, 89 schools are shut in Devon on Thursday, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall, while in Wales around 10 are closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.