Overview
- Local authorities including Exeter, Worcester, North Somerset and Bristol have opened extra emergency beds under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol as sub‑zero conditions set in.
- The UK Health Security Agency issued amber cold health alerts for England through Friday, with Met Office snow and ice warnings covering parts of Scotland, Wales, the South West and eastern England.
- Shelters report they are filling quickly during the freeze, with Crisis warning that limited capacity and funding leave many without longer‑term support.
- Councils and charities urge the public to report people sleeping rough via StreetLink, with Worcester’s Maggs charity issuing a plea and London’s mayor cautioning the cold can be fatal.
- Recent data show rising need: CHAIN recorded 13,231 people sleeping rough in London in 2024/25, up 10% year on year, and Shelter estimates 382,618 people homeless in England with at least 4,667 rough sleeping on a given night.