Weather: Elderly urged to keep warm as temperatures plummet

  • Weather

The elderly have been warned to keep their homes warm and get a flu jab as temperatures continue to fall in the UK.

An unseasonably warm December is giving way to a much colder winter with large parts of the UK facing blasts of snow, ice and frost, according to the Met Office.

Yellow warnings for ice have been issued for Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of north Wales and north-west England as temperatures plummet.

Wednesday is expected to see a widespread frost is expected across the country on Wednesday morning with temperatures reaching as low as minus 5C in parts of Scotland overnight, according to MeteoGroup.

The return of cold weather has also prompted medics to remind familites to protect their vulnerable relatives from the cold snap.

2015 file photo: Snow and ice is expected across parts of the UK Credit: PA

Public Health England's Dr Angie Bone said:

Lucy Harmer, director of services at Independent Age, said:

The cold front is set to remain into the weekend, with Scotland and northern England bearing the brunt of the wintry weather.

Winter deaths jumped by 151% last year, with an estimated 43,900 excess deaths in England and Wales between December 2014 and March 2015, official figures show.