Snow to fall across the South West as arctic blast continues
NHS services in our region are also being stretched
The wintry weather remains across the South West - and health services remain stretched - nearly a week since snow caused major levels of disruption in our part of the world.
Wiltshire Council - and local authorities up and down our region - were out in force with their gritting teams for yet another night, with temperatures creeping below freezing.
Yesterday, in Devon and Cornwall, the Temporary Chief Inspector Dean Drury of Devon and Cornwall Roads Policing warned: "Our Officers and staff are aware of the current weather forecast and the potential for further snowy and icy condition. This may cause difficult driving conditions. Our officers will be on patrol and continue to work with our partners in the Local Authorities and National Highways.
“I would urge drivers to consider whether their journey is necessary and, if not, to consider not driving due to the potentially hazardous conditions.
“If a decision is taken to drive, we encourage people to ensure their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, with good tyre condition, clear windscreens and windows and to allow plenty of time to make the journey.
“Furthermore, people should allow for reduced speeds and to take into account greater stopping distances that may be required, due to wet or icy road surfaces. It is important to think about wearing appropriate clothing, carrying a blanket, a charged mobile phone, enough fuel to account for any hold ups on the road and to consider taking a hot drink in a flask, should you need to stop for an extended period. "
“If the journey is necessary, then remember that not all roads will have been treated, so take the necessary care on those roads which could be icy or slippery.”
It comes as the land is already saturated, with dozens of flood alerts and warnings in force in Somerset, North Devon, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
More than 100 flood warnings are in force across England and more rain, sleet and snow are on the way, risking further disruption.
The Environment Agency has urged people to remain vigilant over the coming days as flood warnings are still in place and a mixture of melting snow and saturated catchments could lead to further disruption in parts of England.
A danger to life warning was issued on Tuesday morning but has since been removed for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, where people living in caravan parks were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation required to save lives.
Dozens of people have been rescued by firefighters across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Stefan Laeger, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "The recent heavy rain combined with melting snow means it is probable significant river flooding will continue in Leicestershire today, with minor river flooding probable in some other parts of the country, continuing through to Thursday for some larger rivers.
"Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.
"We urge people to remain vigilant over the next few days and advise anyone travelling to be especially careful, and urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car."
On Tuesday afternoon, 106 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 202 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were active across England.
One flood warning and six flood alerts were in place in Wales.
The coldest nights of the year are expected this week, with temperatures potentially reaching minus 14C on Wednesday night and minus 16C on Thursday night, both in the north-east of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
From 9am until midnight today, the Met Office is warning of a small chance of power cuts and the potential for rural communities to be cut off.
Passengers and vehicles could also become stranded in the snow, the national weather service said.
A yellow warning for ice has been issued covering parts of North Wales, the Midlands and areas in the north east and north west of England between 5pm on Tuesday and midday on Wednesday.
It comes as the Environment Agency estimated that across England at least 300 properties have flooded since New Year's Eve.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK on Tuesday, including in Somerset.
And Great Western Railway said flooding has closed the line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall.
Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports were forced to suspend flights earlier on Tuesday because of the conditions.
It comes as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called for the Government to take action to prepare fire and rescue services for flood response following widespread flooding.
Unlike the rest of the UK, fire and rescue services in England do not have a statutory duty to respond to flooding, meaning that central Government does not provide secure funding for national flood resilience and response, the FBU said.
The FBU wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in November, calling for "the UK to be made resilient to flooding with a statutory duty and investment".
With the wintry weather comes a spike in cases of flu - with NHS Trusts up and down the country urging patients to attend A&E alone, or recover at home, as hospitals grapple with high demand.
Several NHS trusts declared critical incidents due to "exceptionally high demands" in emergency departments, with a patient at one hospital forced to wait 50 hours to be admitted to a ward.
Hospitals in Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Liverpool, Hampshire, Birmingham and Plymouth have declared critical incidents, which remained in place overnight on Tuesday.
At 10pm on Tuesday, South West Ambulance Service posted on X saying: "We know there are patients waiting for an ambulance, and we will get to them as soon as we can."
It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that he felt "emotional" hearing about long waits and patients being passed from ambulance to ambulance.
Non-urgent patients have been warned they will face long waits in A&E and have been urged to "consider other options", such as contacting their GP, visiting a pharmacy or calling NHS 111.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told PA: "This flu season is not an outlier, but the problem is our emergency care system is so overwhelmed and fragile that a normal flu season - which is what we've got at the moment - is creating severe operational difficulties.
"And it would be a mistake to think that this is solely a result of winter viruses. We have been chronically overloaded and overwhelmed for a number of years.
"It is a significant flu outbreak, but the problem is there's just no capacity to deal with it. So it is really a straw that is breaking the camel's back."
Elsewhere, a critical incident declared by NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly on Friday continues.
A number of trusts posted on X to warn that their emergency departments were very busy, including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust.
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