UK weather: Snow on the way as amber cold-health alert issued for parts of England
The Met Office has issued new weather warnings – and said that snow showers are on the way that could turn “quite heavy” tomorrow.
A yellow warning will come into force at 4am on Monday which states ice and snow are likely to affect roads and train services in parts of Greater London, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex.
Meanwhile, an amber cold-health alert has been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency for the North West of England, West Midlands, East Midlands and South West of England. This will be in place until Friday.
A yellow cold-health alert remains for the North East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, East of England, South East of England and London for much of next week.
It comes as many parts of the country attempt to recover from the aftermath of Storm Henk, which caused widespread flooding and two deaths, and more than 170 flood warnings remain in place.
See the latest weather forecast for your area
The yellow weather warning states that temperatures will drop to near zero in the early hours of Monday morning as “a mix of sleet and snow showers” moves in, the Met Office has said.
Their forecasters predict that the heaviest snow will fall over the North Downs in Sussex.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice and snow on Monday morning
The Met Office has warned the public that journeys may take longer on Monday morning. They have urged people to allow extra time, and to try sticking to main roads when walking or cycling.
Sky weather presenter Jo Wheeler said: “At this time of year, clearer conditions with light winds are likely to result in overnight frosts, fog and icy stretches on roads and pavements.
“Today, we’re seeing a cold pool of air moving into southern areas with the potential for overnight showers to fall as sleet or snow over the higher ground.
“With night-time temperatures close to freezing, even in the towns and cities, there’s also a risk of showers falling on frozen surfaces and turning instantly to ice.”
The yellow ice warning expires at 10am on Monday.
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Journeys on Monday will take longer and the public should try to stick to main roads. File pic
An amber cold-health alert “means cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time, with potential for the whole population to be at risk,” according to the latest announcement.
The UK Health Security Agency has urged anyone with pre-existing medical conditions, or over the age of 65, to be especially cautious of the cold weather and to “heat the rooms where you spend most of your time” in the coming days.
Parts of England are already facing travel problems as rail services between London Paddington, Heathrow Airport and Reading have today faced major disruption.
Damage to overhead wires caused delays of up to an hour, with revised timetables being put in place.
Fears as river levels remain high
The River Thames overflowing in Chertsey on Sunday afternoon
A total of 172 flood warnings and 176 flood alerts also remain in place in England, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.
Over 1,800 UK properties have flooded, and the EA has warned that more properties could be flooded in the coming days as river levels remain increased and more rain is forecast.
Debbie Carling, who lives in a cottage by the Thames in Chertsey, told Sky News she is increasingly worried about how high water levels are impacting her family home.
She has lived in the town for 17 years and said three out of four instances of heavy flooding have occurred in the last two years.
Debbie Carling, who lives nears the Thames, has spent her own money to install a flood water pump at her property
Residents near the Thames in Chertsey have told Sky News that they are increasingly worried about flooding
In 2014, the basement of her house completely flooded and she has since spent “a considerable amount of money” on an automated system to pump out flood waters.
The system has been pumping nonstop for over a week, she said.
“We’re at the top level now and we need it to start to recede quite quickly,” she added. “We’ve already put a lot of things into storage over the last few days.”
In Somerset, the UK’s oldest lido – Cleveland Pools – is currently closed after flooding. The lido reopened to the public last year after a £9.3m renovation.
Government under pressure after Storm Henk
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Sky News investigates how we can stop floods like this happening
Storm Henk devastated parts of the country earlier this week and today the government was urged to “wake up and smell the flood water” amid fears climate change is making extreme weather events more common.
The government has unveiled a financial package for eligible areas of the UK that have faced exceptional localised flooding.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has travelled to Oxfordshire to meet members of the public who have been affected.
He spoke to people on their doorsteps before meeting Environment Agency workers at a depot near a road which remains flooded.
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Sunak speaks to reporters in Oxford
Speaking to the media next to the River Thames, Mr Sunak said: “Flooding has been having a devastating impact on communities up and down the country.
“I was in the East Midlands last week and I’m in Oxfordshire here today talking to some of those that have been affected, but also saying thank you to our first responders who were doing a fantastic job over the past week.
“We have over 1,000 Environment Agency personnel on the ground in local communities helping, over 200 pumps have been deployed.
“We’ve invested £5.2 billion in flood defences over the period in question, that’s a record sum, far more than we’ve done (previously), in the future that’s contributed to protecting over 300,000 homes.
“And, of course, there have been many people affected by what’s happened over the past week, but also over 49,000 have been affected by flooding.”
UK
UK calls for investigation after IDF fired warning shots as British diplomats travelled through West Bank
The UK government is calling for Israel to launch an investigation after the country’s troops fired warning shots while British diplomats were travelling through the West Bank.
Diplomats from Ireland, France, Germany and Turkey were also travelling with the delegation in the city of Jenin when the gunshots rang out on Wednesday.
All four countries have condemned the shooting, which comes after Western nations criticised Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza.
Two British diplomats are understood to be among the group of around 20 people who have been confirmed as safe following the incident in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Footage shows the moment members of the delegation were gathered outside before fleeing the scene as the gunshots rang out.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer has described the incident in Jenin as “unacceptable”.
He wrote on X: “I have spoken to our diplomats who were affected. Civilians must always be protected, and diplomats allowed to do their jobs. There must be a full investigation and those responsible should be held accountable.”
Follow latest: Gaza conflict live updates
Members of the delegation flee as gunshots are fired
In response to the situation, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced measures, including financial restrictions and travel bans, targeting prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss and two other individuals.
The measures also target two illegal outposts and two organisations accused of backing violence against Palestinian communities.
It came after Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Harris condemned the shooting in “the strongest terms” and France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he would summon the Israeli ambassador over the incident.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign ministry said the shooting showed Israel’s “systematic disregard for international law” and called for an immediate investigation.
Germany’s foreign office had earlier condemned what it referred to as “unprovoked gunfire”, adding: “We are fortunate that nothing worse occurred.”
The Israeli military said the delegation had “deviated from the approved route” of their visit and Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers fired warning shots to push them from the area.
The IDF apologised and said it would contact all countries involved in the visit.
The shooting took place a day after the UK announced it would cease all talks of a trade deal with Israel, and summoned the country’s ambassador to make clear Britain is unhappy with the situation in Gaza.
Members of the delegation flee as gunshots are fired
Hospitals in northern Gaza encircled by IDF
Elsewhere, staff and aid groups have said that two of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals have been encircled by Israeli troops – preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
The Indonesian and al Awda hospitals are among the region’s only remaining medical facilities, with both coming under fire this week.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation, has warned Israel’s military operations and evacuation orders “are stretching the health system beyond the breaking point”.
Just 20 of the territory’s 36 hospitals remain partially functioning – with centres in northern Gaza now said to be “at a serious risk of shutting down completely”.
According to the WHO, there have been almost 700 attacks on medical facilities since the war began.
Israel’s military has accused Hamas of using hospitals as command centres and to hide fighters, but has only provided evidence for some of these claims.
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UK unveils new aid package to Gaza
Elsewhere, UK ministers announced they will send £4m of aid to Gaza, including essential medicines, safe drinking water and food parcels.
Minister for development Jenny Chapman, who is visiting Israel and the occupied territories, said the lack of aid reaching Gazans is “appalling”.
She added: “The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza.
“The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation.
“The UK is clear – Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
It comes as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said humanitarian aid needs to get into Gaza “at pace”.
On Wednesday, Downing Street did not rule out more sanctions on Israeli ministers after a report said Number 10 and other countries were drawing up plans to target key figures in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Sir Keir’s official spokesman said he would not speculate on future sanctions but added it has been made clear that if Israel does not cease its military offensive and lift aid restrictions then the UK will take further “concrete actions”.
The shooting in the West Bank came hours before the Israeli military said 100 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment had travelled from the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.
Palestinian workers unload an aid truck, in Khan Younis. Pic: Reuters
The transfer of aid into Gaza has become an increasingly controversial topic over the last couple of days as the international community fears the territory is on the brink of famine.
The UN said earlier that no aid has been distributed in Gaza since Mr Netanyahu said an 11-week blockade on the territory had been lifted.
On Wednesday evening, the Israeli prime minister held a news conference where he said he would not allow European leaders to “influence” Israel after he was asked about the diplomatic row over the gunfire in Jenin and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We have to complete the war,” Mr Netahayu said. “We are going to continue what is needed to end the war.”
He said it was a “mark of shame” that Britain was sanctioning Israel and not Hamas, calling the sanctions an “absolutely horrible thing”.
Friends of Jay Slater have failed to appear as witnesses at an inquest into his death – as a coroner heard the British teenager had drugs in his system before he died from a “devastating” head injury.
Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, disappeared in Tenerife after attending a music festival in June last year.
In the early hours of the following day, he is believed to have travelled to an apartment where people he had met were staying – before he went missing.
His body was recovered in a remote part of La Masca village on 15 July following an extensive search of the island by authorities and his family.
The valley where Mr Slater’s body was found in Tenerife
His mother Debbie Duncan, stepfather and other family members attended the inquest into Mr Slater’s death at Preston Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.
Ms Duncan broke down in tears as she told the hearing she still had questions that needed answers.
The hearing, scheduled to last one day, was told extensive efforts had been made to reach several witnesses who were in contact with Mr Slater before he disappeared, which included summonses being issued.
However, a number of witnesses had failed to respond, including Mr Slater’s friends Bradley Geoghegan, Brandon Hodgson and Lucy Law, who were out with him at the music festival.
Jay Slater disappeared in Tenerife in June last year before his body was found the following month. Pic: LBT Global/Slater family
The two men who were staying at an Airbnb that Mr Slater went back to before he disappeared have also not been traced.
Ms Duncan said: “How can we ever get any understanding?
“There’s things we want to question. We want these people to be sat in front of us, because our son went on holiday and didn’t come back, so there’s questions we need to ask.”
Coroner Dr James Adeley agreed to adjourn the hearing, at the request of Mr Slater’s tearful mother, who asked for the witnesses to be brought to court to give evidence before the inquest concludes. A further hearing date has yet to be set.
Earlier, the court heard analysis of Mr Slater’s body showed traces of drugs including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd detailed Mr Slater’s injuries.
Mr Slater died from a ‘devastating’ head injury, a coroner heard. Pic: PH Build Group
He described “extensive fractures of the left side of his head… extending into the bottom of his skull”.
Mr Slater also sustained “fractures to the left side of the pelvis and hip joints”.
Dr Shepherd said the injuries were “entirely consistent with a heavy fall, from a height, landing on his head”.
Asked by the coroner if there was any suggestion of assault or restraint, he replied: “Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort.”
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Dr Adeley asked the pathologist about the impact of Mr Slater’s injuries.
Dr Shepherd replied: “It would have had an immediate and devastating effect on Jay’s consciousness.
“The injuries were so severe I have no doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. Death could well have been instant, the injury was so severe.”
Failing that, it would have most likely occurred “extremely soon after” the fall, he added.
Dr Shepherd gave an official cause of death as a head injury.
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