Amber cold alert: What does it mean, where does it cover, and how could it impact your health?

An amber cold health alert has been issued for parts of England throughout the week as temperatures are set to plummet.

The alert comes as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice on Monday across London and the south east from 4am to 10am with a forecast of "temperatures near zero" later on Sunday.

London and the South East is set for "a mix of sleet and snow showers" that will move in from the east, according to the Met Office.

The forecaster added: "Given these wintry showers, and also wet surfaces after recent wet weather, some icy patches are likely on untreated surfaces.

"Additionally a few of the snow showers could turn quite heavy; these probably only affecting a narrow zone but a few places could see 1-3cm, mainly over the north Downs and on grassy surfaces."

Many regions are also still trying to cope with flooding following heavy rainfall in recent days.

By Monday morning, the Environment Agency (EA) said there were 169 flood warnings and 159 flood alerts in England.

What is an amber alert?

An amber alert means "cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time".

How long will it last?

The amber cold health alert (CHA) for the North West of England, West Midlands, East Midlands and South West of England, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office, runs until 12pm on Friday January 12.

There is also a yellow cold health alert in place for the North East of England, Yorkshire and The Humber, East of England, South East of England and London.

The warning for London and the South East runs from 4am to 10am.

What could this mean for our health?

The cold weather can increase the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections and can have a serious health impact for older people and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: "With the Met Office forecasting drops in temperature across the United Kingdom into next week, it is important to check in on the wellbeing of those most vulnerable to the cold.

"Temperatures are expected to turn particularly cold overnight, as we would expect at this time of year.

"If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over the age of 65 it is important to try and heat the rooms where you spend most of your time, such as your living room or bedroom, in the coming days."

Concerns over more flooding to come

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "flooding has been having a devastating impact on communities up and down the country" as he spoke to affected residents in Oxford on their doorsteps before visiting EA workers at their depot, on Osney Island.

"We have over 1,000 EA personnel on the ground in local communities helping, over 200 pumps have been deployed," he said.

"We've invested £5.2 billion in flood defences over the period in question, that's a record sum, far more than we’ve done, in the future that's contributed to protecting over 300,000 homes.

"And of course, there have been many people affected by what's happened over the past week, but also over 49,000 have been affected by flooding."

The EA has previously warned that more properties could be flooded in the coming days amid increased river levels and more rain.

Labour has accused the government of being "asleep at the wheel" over flood warnings.

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to make flood defences "fit for purpose", writing on social media that "people's lives shouldn't be upended by extreme rain".

More than 1,800 properties have already flooded after prolonged wet weather and intense rainfall, the agency said, with the impact of high water levels likely to continue, particularly around the rivers Trent, Severn and Thames.

The agency said buildings "will flood and there will be travel disruption" during that time period, and local groundwater flooding is also possible in the South of England, Yorkshire and the Humber.

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