"Extreme temperatures could be life or death" for those sleeping rough
Homeless support charity, Sanctus, fears for the worst as the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for snow this weekend
With snow expected across parts of Essex this weekend, a homeless charity is warning it could be "life or death" for those sleeping rough.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the East of England from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday.
Sanctus is a homeless support charity based in Chelmsford.
CEO Emma Hughes tells Greatest Hits Radio "it can as we've experienced in years gone by, be a life or death situation for a weak or vulnerable person to be rough sleeping in such conditions.
"Many have existing health conditions which puts them at an even higher risk.
Some parts of Essex are not covered by the warning, including Frinton, Manningtree, and some of Colchester and Southend.
"When the temperatures are predicted to fall consistently below zero for a number of days, all councils across the country then offer a temporary form of accommodation" says Emma.
"Temporary accommodation is for anybody on the streets, regardless of their right to remain, it's just purely from a health and safety perspective to keep people safe".
Sanctus are hoping to work with Chelmsford council this weekend by packing bags of food essentials, bedding and toiletries, for those going into temporary accomodation.
Emma tells us "these steps ensure as many people as possible accept the offer of temporary accommodation."
"We're always very concerned about our rough sleepers and this weather obviously exacerbates are concerns significantly."
The Met Office warns of a small chance power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.
Forecasters say there is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers in the warning area, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.