New power cut fears as cold bites: Freezing fog after ‘coldest December night in decade’

Households could be alerted to cut electricity usage within days amid rising energy costs and low wind levels, it was reported last night.

Temperatures hit their lowest point in England for December in almost a decade, it was reported last night, with a low of -8.2C in Benson, Oxfordshire by midnight.

A snow warning has been issued for parts of the UK as Arctic conditions caused temperatures to plummet overnight and the Met Office predicts up to six inches of in the coming days.

It came as reports suggested households could be alerted to cut electricity usage within days amid rising energy costs and sun and wind levels that will remain low. 

Last night the Scottish Highlands saw the mercury drop to -9.3C at Aonach Mor mountain while Aberdeen saw 2in (5cm) of snow. 

Temperatures dropped to -3C with snow in Whitby, Bridlington and Scarborough in North Yorkshire, while Gatwick Airport recorded -5C by midnight.

The National Grid said it is on standby to take ‘enhanced actions’ to shore up power supplies this weekend as wind levels drop, according to the Daily Telegraph.

A spokesman for the company said: ‘Margins are expected to be tighter this week, particularly for the next few days. This is based on our current assessment and is subject to change.

‘Our control room has a range of operational tools available to manage this. These actions also include our enhanced actions.’

The National Grid forecasts that wind generation in Britain is set to fall to 2.9 gigawatts today and 1.1 GW on Sunday.

This would take the company’s ‘spare capacity’ below ‘adequate’ levels. 

It is unclear exactly what these enhanced measures are, but it could include people being paid to use less energy at peak times, the Telegraph reports. 

Charities warned that vulnerable elderly people could be caught out in the cold snap due to the cost of energy prices and blackout risk. 

Morgan Vine, head of policy at Independent Age, said: ‘The prospect of blackouts affecting older people’s heating and electricity supply this winter is incredibly worrying.

‘Not being able to put the lights on or keep warm enough could put many older people’s health at risk, increasing the chance of falls and making health conditions worse. 

‘Many older people rely on equipment that needs continuous power, have telephones connected to their broadband routers or use their TV or radio to stay connected.’

Power cuts already hit the West Country on Thursday with hundreds of homes affected – before temperatures began to drop sharply overnight. 

The weather front, dubbed the Troll from Trondheim, originates from the Trondheim fjords below the Arctic Circle in Norway. 

The Met Office last night predicted further snow and ice across the UK in coming days with a possibility of more weather warnings issued.

Thundersnow was observed on Wednesday morning in north east Scotland – a phenomenon where thunderstorms form and give rise to downpours of snow.

While the ‘Troll of Trondheim’ caused disruption by forcing many schools in Scotland to close or delay their opening times on Thursday.

Meanwhile on Wednesday night a pedestrian died following a collision involving three vehicles in East Kilbride, Scotland.

In west Cornwall two men were killed in a crash the freezing weather hit the region.

The two victims were in the same car which was involved in a collision with a second car on the A3083 on Wednesday night at 9.10pm.

A cyclist was also killed on Thursday in a collision with a car in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, as sub-zero conditions covered roads in frost.

On Thursday hundreds faced cold breakfasts in the West Country where there was a string of power cuts.

Electricity Board engineers were out in the bitter cold in Devon and Dorset, grappling with frozen cables and transformers as they battled to restore supplies to blacked-out homes.

The blackouts included more than 450 homes near Plymouth, almost 250 in the Bridport area and another 240 at Bideford.

While the government issued cold weather payments following the cold snap to help those on low income heat their homes.

A £25 Cold Weather Payment will be given out to eligible people in postcode areas including: Parts of Cumbria, North East and North West England, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Staffordshire and Brecon. 

Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden insisted the power networks would continue working throughout winter ‘barring a very exceptional circumstance’, when asked about the threat of blackouts. 

Traffic cops begged motorists to slow down because of the icy weather.

One officer in Devon said tons of autumn leaves still carpet many roads, specially in rural areas.

‘The leaves are lying on the road surface like a carpet and when there’s freezing weather, they form an icy mush which is very slippery.

‘Many drivers are going recklessly fast – a touch of the brakes and they could slide out of control.’

Incredibly, the rail network between the Thames Valley and Paddington was thrown into turmoil this morning – because things got too hot.

Thousands of commuters were warned to expect delays after a fire on the trackside forced Great Western Railway to close some lines.

The fire was first reported shortly after 7am and several lines were blocked as a result – with some services to Heathrow amongst those affected.

Met Office experts have issued a number of weather warnings for snow and ice for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the east coast and south-west England over the coming days.

The forecaster extended Wednesday’s yellow weather warnings into Thursday and Friday, with ice in coastal and northern England, and both snow and ice expected in northern Scotland.

Some roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times expected, it said.

Icy conditions may result in some slips and falls and there may be icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, it added.

On Friday there will be more widespread frost and cold across the UK, with most areas experience freezing temperatures in the morning.

 The Met Office’s outlook for Saturday to Monday predicts it will remain very cold with wintry showers continuing around coasts. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Level 3 cold weather alert covering England from Wednesday evening through to Monday.

The RAC motor services company also urged people to keep blankets in their vehicles in case they break down in icy conditions.

Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: ‘As an Arctic maritime airmass settles across the UK, temperatures will fall with widespread overnight frosts, severe in places, and daytime temperatures only a few degrees above freezing.

‘However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells, particularly away from the coast and where winds are light it could feel pleasant in the sunshine.

‘Some patchy freezing fog is also likely.

‘Showers will turn more wintry with an increasing risk of snow as the week progresses, particularly in coastal areas or over higher ground.

‘There will be widespread frosts with temperatures falling to as low as minus 10C overnight in isolated spots by the end of the week.’

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘With temperatures plummeting this week, many drivers might be taken aback by the cold after an exceptionally mild autumn.

‘Our advice is to be winter ready – check tyres are properly inflated and with good tread, while topping up oil, coolant and screen wash levels if needed.

‘Drivers with older batteries in their cars might also wish to give their vehicle a 20-minute drive before colder conditions arrive to ensure the battery can cope with sub-zero temperatures.

‘It’s also worth having a fully charged mobile phone and carrying a blanket in case of a breakdown to keep warm.’

A major incident was declared in Sheffield on Wednesday after about 2,000 homes in the suburb of Stannington were left without gas for five days, with overnight temperatures plummeting.

More than 100 engineers were working on the problem caused when a burst water main damaged a gas pipe on Friday, sending hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the gas network.

Fire chiefs warned that people snuggling up in bed could become human torches as their electric blanket might burst into flames.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue and the Public Protection Partnership, conducted free electric blanket testing for local residents – and found alarming results.

A string of test sites were set up in Theale, Newbury, Wokingham and Crowthorne and of the 17 blankets that people brought in, only four – less than a quarter – were declared completely safe.

The testers advised thirteen of the blanket owners that theirs were so unsafe, they should not use them.

Nationally, Age UK advised people to maintain a supply of food and medicine to reduce the number of outdoor trips and torches with spare batteries in case of a power cut.

Homeless people in London will be sheltered after the severe weather emergency protocol was activated for the first time this winter to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.

Up to four inches of snow are predicted to fall this week above 650ft with temperatures set to plummet. 

But forecasters warned even at lower levels, the mercury will drop and up to 2in of snow could fall. 

A strong northerly wind is also likely to produce ‘drifting and blizzard conditions’ in some areas, according to meteorologists. 

‘In the southern half of Britain temperatures will probably plunge to between -5C and -10C in some locations and in the Welsh valleys they may fall below -10C,’ The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze told Express.

‘Forecast details become much more uncertain next week, but some computer models are showing areas of low pressure starting to push up from the southwest.

‘It is only one possible scenario being shown by computer models at the present time, but if it happens the chance of disruptive snow in the southern half of Britain will increase.’ 

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Jason Kelly, said that next week will see wintry showers, mainly for coasts, and freezing fog patches inland.

‘An area of low pressure may then threaten southern and southwestern parts of the UK through mid-week,’ he explained. 

‘Confidence in the exact track of this system is low, but should it push precipitation into the UK, then this would readily turn to snow, with a lower chance of freezing rain. 

‘How far north the milder air gets is also open to a lot of uncertainty, but for now, many central and northern areas are likely to remain in the Arctic airmass.’  

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘We are in this pattern for seven days at least.

‘We could see it continue for a while longer, there’s uncertainty in the evolution and how long it will last.

‘However, the pattern for the next seven days is that it will remain cold and we will see double-digit minus figures overnight in areas that are prone to frosts and areas where there is lying snow.’

Wintry showers were expected during the cold spell, particularly on higher ground and by the coast, Mr Madge said.

Cold air from the north tended to contain less moisture than from the west, meaning less cloud cover and therefore lower overnight temperatures.

Mr Madge said although this will be a cold snap, it will not be as tough as the ‘hard December’ of 2010.

That winter, Britain faced record-breaking amounts of snow fall and average temperatures throughout the month slipped to a record -1C.