England amber cold weather alert extended AGAIN as cold snap persists

An amber cold weather alert covering the whole of England has been extended again as a UK-wide cold snap continues.

The cold weather health alert will now be in place until 9am on Tuesday, January 14. It had previously been extended earlier this week until Sunday, January 12.

The amber alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warns that the low temperatures and wintry conditions are expected to have "severe impacts across health and social care services".

The UKHSA warns that impacts may include a rise in deaths - particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions - and an increase in demand for health services.

The Met Office has warned that the UK faces another "bitterly cold night" tonight. The weather agency said wintry conditions will continue for another 24 hours before more mild air arrives at the weekend.

On Wednesday night, the lowest temperatures so far this winter were recorded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. England saw a low temperature of -11.2C, while Wales recorded a low of -7.9C and Northern Ireland recorded -7.2C.

The Met Office's chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "Another very cold night is expected tonight with temperatures dipping as low as -16C where we have lying snow in Scotland and northern England. Temperatures will also be well below freezing across much of the UK so there is a continued risk of ice overnight and through Friday morning’s rush hour.

"Milder air will attempt to move into the UK from the southwest on Friday morning, heralding the end of this impactful cold spell. Increasing cloud and light rain, perhaps preceded by a little snow, will begin to affect northwestern then northern parts of the UK through the weekend. Here, temperatures will be back to around average by Sunday, and on Monday it’ll be much milder, with temperatures reaching double digits in Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland."