The amber cold alert means people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions could be at risk
An amber cold-health warning has been issued for Cambridgeshire. The amber alert will be in place from 8pm today (Wednesday, December 31) and is set to end on 10am on Tuesday, January 6.
According to the Weather Health Alerting System created by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office, an amber cold-health alert means the cold weather is likely to impact the health and social care sector. There is also a potential for the rest of the population to be at risk.
The low temperatures can increase the use of health care services by vulnerable people and put people over 65 years old and those with serious underlying health conditions, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, at an increased risk. Rough sleepers will also be at an increased risk.
The amber alert was originally placed over the North West and North East regions. All other areas in England were under a yellow warning, but the amber warning has been upgraded to include all regions of England.
BBC Weather has forecast temperatures to drop to as low as -4C over the next few days with highs of 3C. The temperature are expected to see lows of 1C and highs of 5C on Tuesday, January 6.
Dr Paul Coleman, Consultant in Health Protection at UKHSA, said: “The weather is forecast to be very cold across England over the coming few days. Low temperatures like these can have serious impacts on the health of some people, particularly older people and those with serious health conditions. Exposure to cold can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
“It is therefore really important, as the colder weather sets in, to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.”
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