UK told to ‘stay inside’ and stock up on essentials after temperatures plummet

The UK has been told to stock up on essentials as temperatures continue to fall ahead of three days of snow.

People in Herefordshire have been told to stock up on food and medicine, and to ensure draughts are blocked in their homes.

The British Red Cross has revealed a number of essentials you should have in your home during snow and winter weather.

These are:

• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Torch
• Food
• A battery operated or wind up radio
• Essential medication
• Pencil, paper, penknife and whistle
• Spare glasses or contact lenses
• Spare keys to your home and car
• Baby and pet supplies if needed
• Copies of important documents, such as insurance policies and birth certificates

Brits are waking up to more wintery scenes this morning after temperatures dropped to -5°C overnight.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings covering nearly all of England and Wales and parts of Scotland for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Around 2 inches of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England.

Even London is expected to see some snowfall after the capital was placed under a two-day warning.

The UK Health Security Agency has an amber health alert across England as the start of 2025 sees a bitter cold snap.

This is issued when the weather is likely to causing significant impacts to health and social care.

This includes a rise in deaths, an increase in demand for health services and temperatures inside places like hospitals dropping below the levels recommended.

The country has been hit by a blast of cold weather, with temperatures falling as low as minus 5C overnight amid forecasts of snow and freezing rain.

Meteorologists had warned that temperatures overnight could have plummeted to as low as minus 8C as a week-long spell of wintry conditions hit the UK.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.