Large parts of the UK will be under a three-day snow warning from this weekend as forecasters warn that people living in rural communities could become cut off.
The yellow warning is due to come into force at midday on Saturday and will last until 9am on Monday.
It covers all regions of England apart from the South West, most of Wales and some of southern Scotland.
Image: A yellow warning will be in place for snow from Saturday until Monday. Pic: Met Office
The warning comes as a major incident was declared in Greater Manchester by police after flooding forced homes to be evacuated and closed train lines and roads following heavy rain.
Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to fall with some northern parts seeing the mercury fall as low as -10C (14F).
About 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm (8-12ins) over high ground in Wales and/or the Pennines, according to the Met Office.
More on Uk Weather
Related Topics:
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:49
People trapped in flat by floodwaters
It said: “Heavy snow may cause some disruption over the weekend”, adding: “There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.”
The weather agency went on: “There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off. There is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.”
Advice for motorists
The Met Office said snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, so to keep yourself and others safe, plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary.
Leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off. Also, make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays – warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger.
How to prepare for possible power cuts
The Met Office said people cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance – so those who may be affected should consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
The agency has also said there is a yellow warning in place for snow and ice covering northern Scotland from 4am on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday, which could lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions.
And a yellow ice warning has been issued from 4pm on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday, covering Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales, northern England and all of Scotland, which could also lead to difficult travel conditions.
It comes as strong winds and heavy rain have been battering the UK, with some flooding.
Image: Abandoned cars after flooding in Manchester. Pic: Reuters
‘Major incident’ declared
Amid the floods, Greater Manchester Police said a major incident was declared as mountain rescue teams have been deployed to help the fire and rescue service deal with damaged properties and stranded vehicles.
Some residents have been asked to evacuate where flood warnings have been issued, Manchester City Council said.
Flooding has been reported in areas across Greater Manchester including Bolton, Didsbury, Harpurhey, Stalybridge, Stockport and Wigan, police have said.
Image: Rain fell as performers prepared to take part in the New Year’s Day Parade in central London. Pic: PA
The North West and Wales experienced heavy rain for much of the morning on Wednesday, which comes after the Met Office said some parts of the North West saw almost a month’s worth of rain within 48 hours.
Honister Pass in Cumbria had nearly 150mm (6ins) of rain, while Rochdale in Greater Manchester had 77mm (3ins).
More than 50 flood warnings, meaning flooding was expected, were in place for England, eight for Wales and 15 for Scotland.
Looking ahead, Sky’s weather producer Dr Chris England said: “A northerly flow will make it much colder over the next few days, with extensive overnight frosts and daytime temperatures in the low single figures Celsius.
“Some northern parts can expect temperatures down to -10C (14F), perhaps less, and will stay freezing all day. The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow cold weather alerts to prepare responders to risk from the wintry spells. There’ll be some dense freezing fog around too.”
He added: “The weekend will bring the risk of extensive and significant snow over England, Wales and perhaps southern Scotland, as rain expected to move up from the South West later on Saturday and Sunday turns to snow on its leading edge, before turning to rain and clearing on Monday.”
The start of London’s New Year’s Day Parade was delayed by 30 minutes due to high winds being forecast, and inflatable cartoon characters were no longer going to be used, event spokesman Dan Kirkby said.
Women taking weight loss jabs must use contraception, and wait up to two months after stopping the medication before trying to get pregnant, the government’s health agency has warned.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a warning around the use of GLP-1 medicines, which are used both for weight loss and to treat diabetes.
It says the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 or GLP-1 RAs) must not be taken during pregnancy, while trying to pregnant or while breastfeeding. Women who are attempting to get pregnant have been warned to stop using the medicine for two months before trying to have a baby.
It is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine could cause harm to the foetus.
The MHRA said it has received 40 reports relating to pregnancy among women taking the jab.
Mounjaro has also been found to reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in those who are overweight. This means anyone using the jab should also use condoms, particularly during the first four weeks and after any dose increase.
The weight loss jabs have been linked with a “baby boom”, with women reporting online they have surprise pregnancies, despite using contraception – nicknaming them ‘Ozempic babies’ or ‘Mounjaro babies’.
More on Health
Related Topics:
MHRA data found 26 pregnancy-related reports for women taking Mounjaro. Women do not have to specify in the report if the pregnancy is unintentional, but one did say as such.
There were eight reports relating to people taking Ozempic and Wegovy and a further nine for Victoza or Saxenda, with one woman saying her pregnancy was accidental.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer said the “skinny jabs” were medicines, and “should not be used as aesthetic or cosmetic treatments”
“They are not a quick fix to lose weight and have not been assessed to be safe when used in this way,” she said.
She urged patients to read in the information leaflet, or have a conversation with a healthcare professional as part of the prescribing process.
A collision between an electric bike, a pedestrian and a car has left a teenager dead and another in hospital with serious injuries.
Emergency services responded shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday to reports of an accident on Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield.
A 16-year-old pedestrian was taken to hospital. Despite emergency treatment, he died as a result of his injuries. The boy’s family has been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
An 18-year-old man, who was the rider of the electric bike, is also in hospital with serious injuries.
It is reported that the car involved, a grey Audi, failed to stop at the scene. Police say an investigation into the collision is underway and a man and woman in their forties have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They remain in custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles said: “We know that this incident will have caused significant concern in the local community, and tonight our thoughts are with the boys loved ones following this tragic incident.
“Our investigation into what happened is continuing at pace and we currently have a scene in place on Staniforth Road as we continue to piece together the circumstances.
More from UK
“We are aware of speculation being shared online, as well as footage of the incident, and we ask members of the public to withhold from speculating or sharing footage which may cause distress to the boy’s family.
“If you have any footage, imagery or information that may assist our investigation then please share this with us – it may form an important part of our investigation.”
The watchdog that examines potential miscarriages of justice has “unimpressive” leadership and is “incompetent”, said its new chair as she takes up her role.
Dame Vera Baird has been appointed to head up the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC), which currently has serial child killer Lucy Letby’s appeal in its inbox.
The CCRC is an independent public body that reviews possible miscarriages of justice in the criminal courts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and refers cases to the appeal courts.
The commission has had four critical reviews in the last 10 years, which Dame Vera said “all find the same thing”.
Image: Andrew Malkinson. Pic: PA
Speaking to Sky News after her appointment was announced, she said: “They don’t communicate with applicants, are reluctant to challenge the Court of Appeal, they look for reasons not to refer rather than to refer and are quite often incompetent.”
He had applied three times to the CCRC but was rejected twice on cost-benefit grounds.
It’s one of several cases leading to calls for “root and branch” reform of the CCRC from the Justice Committee, which said the watchdog “has shown a remarkable inability to learn from its own mistakes”.
An inquiry by Chris Henley KC also found that case workers missed multiple opportunities to help Malkinson.
The previous chair, Helen Pitcher, was forced to resign in January and chief executive Karen Kneller told the committee of MPs they needed a strong replacement.
Ms Kneller said in April: “We don’t have that figurehead and without that figurehead I think it is difficult for the organisation.”
But that replacement did not think much of her evidence to MPs.
“I didn’t find her impressive,” said Dame Vera, who will be meeting her new colleague next week.
“I was really quite concerned about, first of all, the kind of fairly sketchy way in which she even allowed that they got it wrong in Malkinson, and these assertions that she was sorry that people only judged them by the mistakes, and they all took them very seriously, but actually they were otherwise doing a very good job.
“My fear is that the attitude in the case of Malkinson and others, points to there being an attitude that’s not positive, that’s not mission-driven, that is not go-getter in other cases. So, are they getting it done properly?”
A month later, a committee of MPs said Ms Kneller’s position was no longer tenable.
Committee chairman Andy Slaughter said: “As a result of our concerns regarding the performance of the CCRC and the unpersuasive evidence Karen Kneller provided to the committee, we no longer feel that it is tenable for her to continue as chief executive of the CCRC.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
3:06
Why do medical experts think Lucy Letby is innocent?
In February, the CCRC received an application from Lucy Letby, the former nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. It’s a high-profile, complex case, arriving at a significant moment of flux.
Image: Serial child killer Lucy Letby
Asked if she thought the CCRC could deal with it, Dame Vera said: “Remember I’m quite new to it. It will need complexity. It will need a team. It will need the readiness to commission reports, I would guess from what’s been said about the lack of scientific value in some of the things that were asserted.
“So it’s going to be a very complex task.”
In the Baird Inquiry into Greater Manchester Police last year, Dame Vera strongly criticised the force. She has a reputation for exposing hard truths to institutions, but now she is the institution. She will need to drive the changes.