A council has told the elderly to ‘wiggle their toes’ to stay warm ahead of the Arctic blast set to engulf Britain.
Durham county council gave the advice to vulnerable elderly people on their website as a cold snap is set to plunge temperatures as low as -8C over the next week.
The Reform-led council’s winter safety advice also included ‘keep moving’, ‘eating well’ and ‘wearing several layers of clothing’.
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold health alerts for all of England from 8pm on Sunday December 28 until midday on January 5.
Severe amber warnings are also in place in the North East and North West of England, covering Northumberland, County Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire.
A snow warning has also been issued by the Met Office for Scotland across January 1 and 2, with snow and ice expected to affect Central, Tayside, and Fife.
Durham council’s advice to locals stated: ‘Keep moving, even if you’re sitting down. Just wiggling your fingers and toes will help you keep warm.
‘Try not to sit still for more than an hour or so indoors – get up and stretch your legs. Eat well – make sure you have hot meals and drinks regularly throughout the day to keep your body warm.’
It continued: ‘If you notice that an elderly or vulnerable neighbour has not been out for a few days or hasn’t opened their curtains, check in on them and see if they are okay.
‘Dress for the weather and wear several layers of loose-fitting clothing. Use a walking aid if it helps you stay steady and safe.’
Despite surprisingly balmy temperatures in the first two weeks of December this year, New Year’s Day and January are predicted to be much colder.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: ‘We’re losing this sort of settled but chilly conditions, and bringing in something a little bit more showery with more wintry hazards in the forecast, particularly for the north of the country.’
The UKHSA said the weather this week is ‘likely’ to cause significant impact across health and social care services, including a ‘rise in deaths’ among those with health conditions or aged 65 and over.
The agency said the UK may also see ‘impacts on younger people’, adding there will likely be an ‘increase in demand for health services’ across the regions.
Other impacts include ‘temperatures inside places like hospitals and care homes dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks’ and ‘challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C leading to more risk to vulnerable people’, the UKHSA said.
It also warned of staffing issues due to external factors such as travel delays, and said other sectors, such as transport and energy, could start to see the impacts.
The agency also issued a yellow cold health alert for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
Temperatures are expected to fall to around 4-6C from New Year’s Day in areas where the yellow health alert is in place.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: ‘As the colder weather sets in it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
‘The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.’
