Brits told to close bedroom windows on Thursday amid alarming warning

A picture of an open window
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Summer is well and truly over - with temperatures set to plunge into single digits and possibly even 0C in parts of Britain. The coldest temperatures are expected to arrive on Thursday this week, with Public Health England advising people to be careful as illness and injuries often rise during chilly weather. It cautions that each year "thousands of people across the UK die as a consequence of the cold temperatures and infections like the flu."

It advises people likely to be at risk - like those that are older or have health conditions - to heat their rooms at home to 18C, not sit for more than an hour at a time, enjoy hot drinks and keep their bedroom windows closed at night. It also suggests that wearing several layers of thinner clothing could keep you warmer than one thicker one.

The BBC's Chris Fawkes presenting the weather
BBC forecaster Chris Fawkes has warned of cold weather to come -Credit:BBC

Latest BBC forecasts suggest temperatures are going to turn cold on Thursday night in particular before cloudy conditions on Friday. The Met Office has also warned of colder weather to come, plus two yellow weather warning alerts affecting in the north of the UK.

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Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said: “Of particular concern is a prolonged spell of heavy rain over or close to Shetland during Tuesday. A yellow weather warning for rain has been issued. We are also monitoring the potential for a period of strong northwesterly winds, especially for Orkney and perhaps also into parts of the Moray and Aberdeenshire coast.”

He added: “We will continue to assess the need for weather warnings, so please keep up to date with our latest forecasts and warnings for your area.”

A five-day cold spell is on the cards, with frosty nights and heavy rain affecting Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of England's east coast. However, after that a small summer resurgence is expected.

The Met Office said: "Looking further ahead, milder air from the Atlantic is expected to push back across the country later on Friday and more especially into the weekend, cutting off the cold air from the north and seeing a return to temperatures nearer average for the time of year."