British Gas urges households in England to stockpile five items now

British Gas has warned UK households to stockpile five items as we head towards three days of snowfall. The Met Office has warned snowfall could sweep the country as we head into the new week, with yellow weather warnings between now and Wednesday.

British Gas urged: "Torches, spare batteries and a back-up charger for mobile phones are all handy. You might even consider a battery-powered radio, to keep on top of local updates if you can’t use your mobile. And keep a cupboard stocked with essential foods that you can prepare without electricity."

"There can be power surges while your power is not working normally, so protect your appliances by switching them off at the socket until everything’s up and running again. It’s a good idea to leave one main light switched on so you’ll know when the power comes back," the firm said.

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The Met Office has warned power cuts could hit the Midlands, north of England, Scotland, Yorkshire, and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland too. Looking ahead at the end of the week, the Met Office forecast for November 22 into December explains: "Cold or very cold conditions are expected across most if not all parts of the UK early in this period, with wintry showers affecting in particular northern parts and exposed coastal districts, although it may well be largely sunny.

"Into the weekend likely turning to more wet and windy conditions with some snowfall on the leading edge of this. Into the following week possibly cooler again though wintry conditions mostly limited to northern hills with a potential for more organised areas of rain, snow and strong winds at times, this probably also associated with milder temperatures, at least in the south.

"Later in the period, conditions remain uncertain, but some indications for a further more settled spell around the turn of the month."