Yellow weather warning issued as commuters face travel disruption

The National Grid has announced plans to pay some households to refrain from using energy for a set period of time tomorrow, in response to the freezing conditions.

Eligible households will be incentivised to cut down on electricity usage between 4.30pm and 6pm tomorrow, as part of the Live Demand Flexibility Service.

An ESO Spokesperson said: “Our forecasts show electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Friday evening.”

They added: “It does not mean electricity supplies are at risk and people should not be worried.

“These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity we need.”

The scheme is intended to prevent blackouts from occurring due to increased pressure on the network.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UK Health and Security Advisory, said: “With a risk of widespread overnight frosts and some snow across the country this week, it’s important to check in on the wellbeing of those most vulnerable to the cold.”

He added: “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 in, such as your living room or bedroom.”

The UKHSA has advised heating rooms to at least 18 degrees and recommends trapping heat by wearing multiple thin layers rather than one thick layer.

The UK Health and Security Advisory and the Met Office have issued an amber cold-health alert (CHA) in England for the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands.

An amber alert signifies that cold weather is likely to be felt across the whole health service and demands a coordinated response. 

The alert is currently in place from 6pm on Tuesday 28 November to midday on Tuesday 5 December, during which period the Met Office forecast average temperatures around or less than 2°C in areas under amber alert.

A yellow CHA has also been issued in the South West, South East, East of England and London.  

A yellow alert indicates that there is potential impact on vulnerable populations, those with pre-existing health conditions and individuals over the age of 65.

The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning for ice across parts of south-west England. 

The warning is in force from today at 10pm until 10am tomorrow. 

Millions of drivers ignore severe weather alerts, a new survey suggests.

A third (33 per cent) of respondents to a poll of more than 12,000 AA members said they would go ahead with planned journeys even if a red warning for snow was issued by the Met Office.

Some 62 per cent said they would ignore amber alerts.

AA analysis of Department for Transport figures found 487 people were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads in snowy conditions between 2017 and last year.

Nick Powell, AA patrol of the year, said: “It’s clear that many people will risk their vehicles and themselves on wintry roads – even when the worst weather is predicted.

“The AA will be out on patrol as usual but there are some simple and common sense precautions drivers need to take to avoid a winter nightmare in the first place.”

Police in County Durham have said that snowy conditions had led to some crashes on the roads.

Durham Constabulary said: “There has been the first main snowfall of the winter across the force area which has led to roads being covered in snow.

“We have already had collisions reported due to the weather. Please be careful if you need to drive this morning, drive to the conditions and allow extra time for your journeys.”

Parts of the UK could see up to 10cm of snow today, with temperatures expected to drop “well below freezing” overnight, forecasters have said.

Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said parts of Dartmoor could potentially see 5-10cm of snow throughout the day, with other areas of the South West seeing “more modest accumulations” of one to three centimetres.

Overnight, there is expected to be widespread frost, with temperatures dropping to -8C in the rural South, and -7C in rural parts of Wales.

Mr Claydon said: “The cold conditions are set to remain for the remainder of this week and into the weekend. For those inland it will remain dry, crisp and cold but showers will continue along the east, becoming more north into the weekend.”

Rail passengers were hit by disruption today as several major routes were affected by infrastructure faults and low temperatures.

East Midlands Railway said services between London St Pancras and Corby were cancelled and delayed because of “a shortage of trains after damage caused by ice”.

Frost was also blamed for c2c cancellations from Leigh-on-Sea to London’s Fenchurch Street.

Meanwhile, Great Western Railway and Elizabeth line services between London Paddington and Reading were forced to run at a reduced speed because of a broken rail, which was expected to cause delays throughout the day.

The operator said the problem was discovered in the area around Hayes & Harlington station, west London, early yesterday, with Network Rail unable to carry out a full repair until this evening. The defect was at a set of points used to transfer trains from one track to another.

Separate points failures disrupted South Western Railway trains at London Waterloo – the UK’s busiest railway station – and Thameslink services between Sutton and Luton.

The Met Office has warned that people in yellow weather warning areas face icy patches and hazardous conditions. 

It warns that some roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. 

It adds that there will be some icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, and that injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are possible. 

Snow has fallen in Cornwall, as a number of schools were closed for the day.

Jo Shreeve, from Redruth, warned that the roads in the region were “treacherous”.

A number of schools have been closed in Cornwall as temperatures plummet. They include the following: 

• Halwin School
• Looe Community Academy
• Luxulyan School 
• Nine Maidens Alternative Provision Academy 
• Pencoys Primary School
• Stithians School
• The Roseland Academy
• Treverbyn Academy
• Trewirgie Infant School
• Veryan School

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has launched the Severe Emergency Weather Protocol as London faces freezing temperatures over the next few days. 

Homeless people will be able to access emergency accommodation across the capital.

Temperatures plunged to a low of minus 7.2C in England overnight.

The Met Office said the three lowest temperatures recorded at its observation sites overnight were all in Cumbria on Wednesday, with a low of -7.2C in Bridgefoot, -6.5C in Shap and -6.1C in Keswick.

The BBC reported that parts of the UK had their coldest November night since 2010, and that it was -8C at Aonach Mor in the Scottish Highlands.

The Met Office has issued a handful of Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across the UK. 

One yellow warning – covering areas in north-east England, the East Midlands, the east of England, Yorkshire and Humber and parts of Scotland – will be active from 5pm today until 11am on Friday.

Another, affecting Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, will be in place until 4pm today.

An earlier warning remains in place until 11am today for eastern Scotland and north-east England down to North Yorkshire.

A yellow ice warning for Northern Ireland is in place until 10am today.

Good morning and welcome to The Telegraph’s live coverage of the UK weather.

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