Britain in the deep freeze: Temperatures will plunge to a bone-chilling MINUS 10C today with heavy dump of snow landing on London and South East tomorrow with 2,000 homes still unable to turn on heating

• Large areas have been warned to expect severe conditions as Troll of Trondheim continues to batter the UK
• On Sunday, a snow and ice warning kicks in at 9am for most of London and some of south-eastern England 
• The Met Office said that the conditions could lead to travel disruption, especially on Monday morning
• It comes as up to 2,000 homes in Stannington, Sheffield, have been affected after a burst water pipe

Temperatures are set to plunge to a chilling minus 10C today with the Met Office warning heavy snow will land on London and south-eastern England tomorrow.

Large areas of the country have been warned to expect severe conditions during the weekend as the Troll of Trondheim continues to batter the UK with freezing temperatures.

A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for much of Scotland until 12pm on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Met Office extended ice warnings in Northern Ireland, Wales and south-western England to cover snow until 12pm on Sunday.

Swimmers wearing Santa hats prepare to enter the water at the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, central London as freezing temperatures continue in the capital

Horses being exercised in a frost covered landscape in Hyde Park. The Met Office have issued yellow weather warnings for parts of the UK, with snowfall expected in places

Frost cover bushy Park in Southwest London, this morning. Cold weather hits London over the weekend

A frosty sunrise in Barnham, West Sussex. Large areas of the country have been warned to expect severe conditions during the weekend, with snow forecast for Scotland and the south-east of England

On Sunday, a snow and ice warning kicks in at 9am for most of London and some of south-eastern England until 9am on Monday, with a 30 per cent chance of up to 5cm of snow.

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.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sent out a level three cold weather alert covering England until Friday having extended the alert from Monday.

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.

‘There is still a risk we could see some freezing fog in places particularly southern England, especially for Sunday and Monday mornings.

‘There is also a small risk of a band of sleet or snow moving into the far South East on Sunday. 

‘If this happens it could potentially bring some disruption, especially to rush hour on Monday. A warning has been issued.’

Snow falls in Manchester as runners and walkers enjoy a jog and stroll in Sale

Hard frost covers the countryside after another bitterly cold night. Seasonal weather, cold snap, Dunsden, Oxfordshire

Temperatures are set to stay low, hitting minus 10C (14F) in isolated areas on Saturday and Sunday. Pictured: Frost in Northolt, West London on Saturday morning

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sent out a level three cold weather alert covering England until Friday having extended the alert from Monday. Pictured: Frosty sunrise in Barnham, West Sussex

On Saturday, the Met Office extended ice warnings in Northern Ireland, Wales and south-western England to cover snow until 12pm on Sunday

Walkers out early on a cold and frosty morning by the woodlands in Dunsden, Oxfordshire

On Sunday, a snow and ice warning kicks in at 9am for most of London and some of south-eastern England until 9am on Monday, with a 30 per cent chance of up to 5cm of snow

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. Pictured: Snow falling Manchester

The UKHSA 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.’

Darren Clark, severe weather resilience manager at National Highways, said gritters would be out to keep motorways and major A-roads open.

He said: ‘National Highways is committed to treating every road which needs to be treated – whenever it is needed.’

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.

Charity Save the Children said 194 of 355 councils in England and Wales were directly involved in or supporting local groups to open warm spaces this winter.

Becca Lyon, head of child poverty at Save the Children UK, said: ‘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.’

Councillor Richard Wenham, vice-chairman of the Local Government Association’s Resources Board, said: ‘Warm hubs and other similar schemes are among the many actions councils are taking to support people in the greatest need this winter, but these emergency schemes should not become the norm and are not a sustainable solution to bridge the gap between income and the current cost of living.’

It comes as people on the lowest incomes in hundreds of affected postcode districts in England and Wales are set to receive a £25 cold weather payment.

The Government payments have been triggered for eligible households in areas where the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.

In a quiet cul-de-sac, a crisis has been underway for over a week – and there’s still no end in sight.

The UKHSA 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). Pictured: Manchester

In Stannington, Sheffield, up to 2,000 homes have been affected after a burst water pipe last Friday, December 2, flooded into a gas main

Residents like Terry Howell (pictured) are still without heating or hot water

Some of Britain’s poorest households are set to get £25 cold weather payments after the temperature threshold was triggered this week for parts of the country.

As the rest of Yorkshire worry about how they will afford to warm their homes as freezing temperatures hit, there’s a small corner of the county who can only dream of turning the heating on at all right now.

In Stannington, Sheffield, up to 2,000 homes have been affected after a burst water pipe last Friday, December 2, flooded into a gas main.

The leak was stopped but water is still being cleared out now – and many are still without gas while temperatures are dropping below zero degrees at night.

Sheffield City Council declared a major incident earlier this week after the incident spread to Hillsborough and Malin Bridge. 

Engineers from Cadent Gas have been working around the clock to try to resolve the issue, but many residents have still been facing freezing homes during one of the coldest weeks of the year.

Residents have had to find elsewhere to go and cook, shower, stay warm, and more. Forge Valley School nearby has been open over the weekend for people to go and shower and will remain so in the coming weekend.

The streets of Stannington, lined with frost from a December week that saw temperatures dip below freezing, are still full of works where water is being pumped out.

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