Scots are being warned to expect severe conditions over the weekend, with further bouts of snow forecast for parts of the country in the coming days.
Temperatures are set to stay low, hitting minus 10C (14F) in isolated areas on Saturday and Sunday. A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for much of Scotland until 12pm on Sunday.
The warnings cover parts of the central belt, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Fife, Tayside, Perthshire, the north east, the Highlands, the Western Isles and Shetland. The Met Office said the conditions could lead to travel disruption, especially on Monday morning, and a small chance of some rural communities becoming cut off along with a possibility of power cuts and mobile phone coverage being affected.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “It is staying cold with daytime temperatures remaining only a few degrees above freezing in many places over the coming days and overnight temperatures dropping to minus 10C or lower in isolated spots. Although below average, these temperatures are not that unusual for this time of year."
The UK Health Security Agency is advising people to look out for friends and family who are vulnerable in the cold and to ensure they have access to warm food and drinks, adding that people should maintain indoor temperatures of at least 18C (64.4F).
Dr Agostinho Sousa, consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you.
“In rooms you mostly use such as the living room or bedroom, try to heat them to at least 18C if you can. Keep your bedroom windows closed at night. Wearing several layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer.”
The RAC has reported it has been “exceptionally busy” in recent days receiving a quarter more breakdowns than is normal for this time of year. Also, more than 3,200 warm banks, run by local authorities and charities to provide heating to those who cannot afford to heat their homes, are currently open across the UK, according to the Warm Welcome Campaign.
It said many of them are a third or even half full and offer a variety of services, from hot tea to a place to work. Charities are warning that poverty-stricken families already at risk of freezing were being exposed to greater harm by the cold.
Becca Lyon, head of child poverty at Save the Children UK, told PA: “Families should not be in a position where they are agonising over whether to put the heating on in sub-zero temperatures. Parents have told us they will risk going into debt to keep their children warm.”
Households in England and Wales will receive a £25 cold weather payment triggered by a forecast of seven consecutive days of temperatures at or below freezing. However, Scots are not eligible for the payment due to aspects of social security being devolved to the Scottish Government.
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