The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber Cold-Health Alert (CHA) for all regions of England from midday on Thursday 02 January until midday on Wednesday 08 January.

The UKHSA say that the expected low temperatures are likely to result in increased use of health care services by vulnerable people and an increase in risk to health for individuals aged 65 years and over, those with pre-existing health conditions (including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) and some other vulnerable groups, such as those sleeping rough.

The agency has published the following advice to the public on staying safe during periods of cold weather.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said:

“The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable. These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”

Under the CHA system introduced by UKHSA and the Met Office, an amber alert means that 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 and where other sectors may also start to observe impacts, indicating a coordinated response is required.

On the roads tonight

In the meantime, our contractor, Milestone, is out this afternoon, gritting all 37 ‘precautionary routes’ – that’s approximately 1,700 miles of the county’s main salting routes – ahead of the drop in road temperatures this evening and throughout the night. They will be out again around 3am tomorrow to do it all again.

We’re reminding the public:

never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming
allow additional time for your journey
reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front
drive with care and according to the conditions
if you have vulnerable or elderly neighbours, think about how they could possibly be helped through the cold spell
try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18C, particularly if you are not mobile, have long-term illness or are 65 or over. The NHS website has more information on staying healthy during cold weather
listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions

More information and advice is available on our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on X (Twitter) and Facebook.