UK weather- live: Britain braces for more snow in -9C polar freeze as Met Office warns of weekend washout

Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase fixture at Ascot has been abandoned due to a frozen track.

A third clash will not take place this weekend, with the track deemed unraceable following a 4pm inspection on Thursday and further freezing temperatures forecast.

A statement from Ascot posted on X, formerly Twitter, read: “The BetMGM Clarence House Chase Raceday has been abandoned.

“Temperatures dropped to minus 6C overnight into Thursday and the track is still frozen in places at 4pm under the covers.

“Given the forecast remains for sub-zero temperatures over the next two nights there is no prospect of improvement before raceday on Saturday.”

Around 367,000 households in Britain are without central heating as the UK faces an Arctic cold snap with temperatures as low as -10C.

An amber cold health alert is currently in place for the whole of the UK and has been extended until midday on Saturday.

Experts at the UK Health Security Agency warned the cold snap can bring an increased likelihood of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections and pose a particularly serious risk for older people.

According to data from the last Census run by the Office for National Statistics in 2021, 367,119 households are without any central heating at all.

Read the full piece below.

Barney Davis reports:

Thousands of Britons struggling to keep warm this week during the -10C Arctic freeze may be eligible for a £25 cold weather payment from the government.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) runs the Cold Weather Payment scheme for qualifying households to offer support during cold snaps like these.

This is a one-off payment of £25 that is triggered for every seven-day period where the temperature in a certain area is at or below zero degrees.

Read the full article below.

Huge swathes of the UK experienced the coldest nights of winter so far as temperatures plummeted to -14C this week -and lows of -9C are expected again.

The drop in temperatures has been caused by a blast of Arctic air sweeping the country.

Temperatures will remain below zero on Friday morning as the cold snap is expected to end this weekend.

As temperatures become milder, yellow weather warnings for rain have been issued for all of the UK except for Shetland and south east England, including London.

Meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “Rainfall totals are really expected to build up, and with some snow melt it means we could see some flooding issues.”

A yellow weather warning has also been put in place for wind in regions of Scotland as severe and potentially gale force winds are expected to cause severe disruption to travel and utilities.

The warning runs for 24 hours from 6am on Sunday, and the Met Office warned winds of up to 70mph could hit exposed coasts, with up to 60mph inland.

After days of bitterly cold temperatures, the Met Office has revealed when the UK’s prolonged cold snap will finally come to an end.

On Wednesday night, huge swathes of the UK experienced the coldest nights of winter so far as temperatures plummeted to -14C - and lows of -9C are expected again on Thursday night. The drop in temperatures has been caused by a blast of Arctic air sweeping the country.

However, the Met Office has reported that temperatures could be turning milder as the weekend approaches reaching up to 12C on Sunday, with London getting as warm as 15C on Tuesday.

Read the full piece below.

The Independent’s health correspondent Rebecca Thomas reports:

The number of patients in hospital with Covid and norovirus has soared as the NHS is put under increasing pressure from winter illnesses.

New figures show an average of 452 patients were on the wards with the diarrhoea and vomiting bug last week – up 20 per cent from two weeks ago and a third higher than this time last year.

On Covid, the number of patients taking up hospital beds is up by 22 per cent – to 3,949 a day – compared to last month. This is still lower than last year when figures reached more than 6,000 a day.

Read the full piece below.

New yellow weather warnings were issued across the UK on Thursday afternoon.

t comes after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far on Tuesday into Wednesday, when Dalwhinnie in the Highlands experienced a temperature of minus 14C.

Amber and yellow warnings for snow and ice cover parts of the UK on Thursday, while a yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for Sunday across the UK – except Shetland and south east England.

The warning runs for 24 hours from 6am on Sunday, and the Met Office warned winds of up to 70mph could hit exposed coasts, with up to 60mph inland.

Our furry friends can get cold too. But despite the continuous fall in temperature during these winter months, dogs still need to go outside for their daily walks.

If you are a dog owner, here’s what you need to know about getting your pet outdoors in the colder weather.

Does cold weather affect dogs?

For Caroline Goulton, a veterinary surgeon for Guide Dogs, how the temperature and weather affect your dog comes down to their breed, age and condition.

Read the full piece below