South West weather: Cold health alert issued with flooding set to continue

Temperatures are set to plummet this week- with an amber health alert for cold in place for the South West until Friday.

The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office, means “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.

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."

It comes after a week of severe flooding in parts of the region - including in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Devon.

There are currently 17 flood warnings still in place for Gloucestershire, where levels on the River Severn remain high and 13 warnings in place for Somerset.

It comes as residents have been left 'heartbroken' by the impact of flooding in Gloucester last week.

The Government said on Saturday that flood-hit communities can apply for funding to help them through the “extreme challenges” brought about by the rains and strong winds.

Travel disruption is continuing into the week, with the A361 Main Road in Somerset closed both ways due to flooding between Burrowbridge and East Lyng.

A rail replacement bus is being offered for CrossCountry between Gloucester and Cardiff Central, due to flooded tracks.