Amber health alert for all regions of England extended as cold snap continues

Amber alerts for cold weather have been extended across the whole of England.

It comes after the UK experienced its coldest night of winter so far on Sunday night. A temperature of -13.3C was recorded in Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands, between Ullapool and Inverness.

The cold temperatures look set to continue this week as cold air returns across the whole country from today following a brief spell of milder conditions in southern areas, according to the Met Office.

Amber cold health alerts for every area of England were issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday last week (January 2) and were due to expire on Wednesday, January 8. However, this morning the UKHSA extended the alerts until Sunday, as the cold snap looks set to continue for the whole of this week.

In an update on Monday morning, the UKHSA said: "The amber alert will now be in effect from 12pm today, Mon 6 Jan, until 12pm Sunday 12 Jan. All regions in England are affected."

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: "We are extending the duration of our Cold-Health Alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.

"This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable. These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures."

Severe weather warnings from the Met Office remain in place for large parts of the UK. Severe weather over the weekend has caused major roads to close and disruption on railway lines.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has issued 166 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 299 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, across England. In Wales, there are three flood warnings and 34 flood alerts.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice covering much of northern England and North Wales, which will be in force until midday.

Most of the UK saw heavy snow or icy rainfall over the weekend. Major airports closed their runways for several hours due to heavy snow, while there were stranded vehicles and collisions which blocked key roads across northern England.