Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the latest victim of bad weather set to batter the UK over the new year.

The celebrations have been cancelled due to high winds and “extreme” weather, organisers announced hours ahead of events kicking off on Monday.

Outdoor events scheduled for 30 and 31 December have been called off for “safety reasons”, a spokesperson said.

Blackpool’s New Year’s Eve fireworks have also been cancelled due to the forecast of high winds in northwest England tomorrow night.

Organisers of London’s celebrations are monitoring the weather carefully.

Britain is set to be hit by high winds, heavy rain, and snowfall – as weather warnings cover almost every part of the UK.

Here’s what forecasters are predicting across the UK over the next few days.

England

There are four yellow weather warnings covering different parts of England over the next few days, including one on Monday December 30.

That yellow alert for wind is in place for the North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales from 11am until 6pm.

It warns of potential disruption to travel in the area and the potential for short-term power cuts.

Another yellow weather warning for wind comes into place from 7am on New Year’s Eve. That covers the northeast of England, down towards Bridlington in East Yorkshire, and across towards Carlisle in the northwest.

It warns of “strong westerly winds” that could lead to travel disruption on New Year’s Eve and is in place until 11pm.

England then has two warnings in place on New Year’s Day.

The first, for strong winds, covers southern England and parts of the West Midlands from 7am to 11.59pm on 1 January.

The second, for heavy rain, covers a large part of the northwest and covers areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, parts of Liverpool, Preston and north towards High Bentham.

That warning runs from 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6pm on New Year’s Day.

Wales

Wales is covered by a yellow weather warning for rain on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The alert covers a central belt of Wales from the north coast, to the south, and is in place from 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6pm on New Year’s Day.

Scotland

Scotland is covered by five different weather warnings across the next four days – including a more severe amber warning.

The first alert, for rain and snow, covers almost all of Scotland and warns the weather could bring “significant disruption in the build-up to the new year.

It is place across Monday, until 11.59 pm tonight, and warns that some homes and businesses could be flooded and there could be delays to travel services.

Orkney, which is not covered by this warning, is covered by another alert for snow lasting from 5am on New Year’s Eve until midnight.

There is also an amber warning in place for central Scotland from midnight tonight until 5pm tomorrow.

The Met Office says the rain is “likely to cause some property flooding and travel disruption”.

Southern areas of Scotland, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, are also covered by another wind alert from 7am on New Year’s Eve until 11pm.

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There is also a yellow alert for snow and ice in place for northern areas of Scotland from midnight on 1 January until 9am on 2 January.

Northern Ireland

A yellow weather warning is in place for much of Northern Ireland, covering Belfast, Londonderry, Coleraine and Larne, from 6am until 7pm on New Year’s Eve.

The whole of Northern Ireland, from Derry to Enniskillen, and Newry to Ballycastle, was covered by a yellow weather alert for “heavy and persistent” snow from 7am until 11.59pm on New Year’s Day, but that has now been withdrawn by the Met Office.

The father of a seven-week-old boy who died after being breastfed in a baby carrier is calling for increased safety standards around baby slings.

James Alderman, who was known as Jimmy, was being breastfed “hands-free” within a baby carrier worn by his mother while she moved around their home.

Jimmy’s father, George Alderman, told Sky News: “Baby slings are sold as being a lifesaver, allowing you to get on with your business while your baby’s safe and close to you, but in this instance, we had our baby close, but not safe.”

The inquest into his death heard Jimmy was in an unsafe position too far down the sling.

Mr Alderman said that while much of the available advice around slings focused on them not being too tight, few people were aware of the danger of the sling not being tight enough, and so allowing the baby to slump.

Explaining what medical experts think happened to Jimmy, he said: “After he’d been feeding, he fell asleep and then he slumped forwards. Then, because his head was covered and he had his chin against his chest, he was facing downwards.

“Nothing was covering his face, but because of the position he was in, that meant that not enough oxygen was going into his lungs because he was small and not fully developed, and that’s why he stopped breathing.”

Resuscitation was started straight away, but Jimmy died three days later on 11 October 2023.

Mr Alderman said that while many brands of baby carriers said they were safe for breastfeeding, the lack of advice around how to safely do it meant that parents were “left to work it out by themselves”.

He said that during Jimmy’s inquest, it also became clear that there was no mandatory safety standard for baby carriers.

‘How can a bag of sand represent a baby?’

While items such as baby car seats are heavily regulated in the UK, the standards are voluntary around slings and carriers, meaning companies can perform different tests in different ways.

Mr Alderman said: “Some use weighted dolls, some use bags of sand. How a bag of sand can accurately represent a baby, I just don’t know.”

He said while there was currently a European working group looking at setting up a standardised mandatory test for baby carriers (including the UK) it could take three years or more to complete.

Mr Alderman said he was aware of at least two other cases in the UK and Ireland linked to slings where young infants had died.

Advice completely absent or ‘unhelpful’

At Jimmy’s inquest, senior coroner for west London, Lydia Brown, said there was insufficient information to inform parents of the safe positioning of young babies within carriers, particularly in relation to breastfeeding.

In her report, she criticised the lack of information on the risk of a baby “slumping”, and failure to advise that breastfeeding an infant under four months “hands-free” was unsafe due to risk of suffocation.

She also criticised the total lack of guidance from the NHS and said the “tips” provided on the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) website were “unhelpful”.

She concluded that “action should be taken to prevent future deaths”.

Copies of the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report were sent to the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care.

‘Positive change from something so awful’

Mr Alderman said that while questioning “Why has this happened to us?”, the family were keen to do what they could to stop other families going through the same experience.

Mr Alderman said: “If we can’t do something to stop it happening, to make sure there is a positive change and, if needs be, for the government to step in and make sure there’s a mandatory test for all of these things, then that is something that can come from something that’s been so awful.”

He said fundraising for Jimmy’s Cuddle, a charity they set up to support charitable causes in Jimmy’s memory, was a good way to not only raise funds, but also raise awareness and share memories.

He said: “Jimmy only had seven weeks with us and we want to keep his memory going for longer than that, and give him some sort of life that he never got.”

Mr Alderman and his wife Ellie are expecting their third child in early February. The couple also have a three-year-old son called Arthur.

Anyone dealing with the loss of a baby can call the Lullaby Trust on 0808 802 6868 or email support@lullabytrust.org.uk

More than £10m worth of jewellery and £150,000 worth of designer handbags have been stolen from a home in London – prompting the offering of a reward.

Police say the suspect broke into the house in Avenue Road, Primrose Hill, north London, between 5pm and 5.30pm on 7 December by climbing in through a second-floor window.

He took Hermes Crocodile Kelly handbags, £15,000 in cash as well as items of jewellery worth £10.4m that included unique pieces, such as jewel-encrusted necklaces and bracelets.

The suspect has been described as a white man in his late 20s to 30s who was wearing a dark hoodie, cargo pants and a grey baseball cap.

He kept his face covered and was thought to have been carrying a weapon.

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The homeowners are offering a £500,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, and a second reward of 10% of the value of the recovered items for information that leads to the retrieval of the stolen jewellery.

Detective Constable Paulo Roberts said: “This is a brazen offence where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon and violated the sanctuary of the victims’ home.

“The suspect has stolen £10.4m worth of jewellery, much of which is sentimental and unique in its design, and therefore easily identifiable.

“We urge anyone who was in the area of Avenue Road, NW8, and saw anything suspicious to please come forward.

“Also, if you have seen this jewellery since, someone has offered to sell you it, or you have any further information, then please also contact the police or Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Avenue Road is one of the most expensive streets in the UK, with an average house price of £15.2m, according to recent research by Lloyds Bank.