'A disaster for the elderly' Britain's plummeting temperatures to claim 40,000 LIVES | Nature | News | Daily Express

'A disaster for the elderly' Britain's plummeting temperatures to claim 40,000 LIVES

KILLER cold is 'a disaster for the elderly' as UK's Arctic weather to claim 40,000 LIVES

TENS of thousands of Britons could die from cold this winter, experts have claimed.

Published: 14:35, Sun, February 1, 2015

By Aaron Brown

Death rates have already risen by a third with another peak expected this week as the mercury continues to drop across the UK.

Excess winter deaths look like potentially reaching 45,000. That would be a disaster for the elderly

Malcolm Booth

In total around 40,000 Britons have been predicted to die this winter -  the worst toll for 15 years.
The National Federation of Occupational Pensioners described the death rates as "a disaster for the elderly".
Hospitals across the country are bracing for the rush on healthcare while health workers have been asked to make daily visits or phone calls to the most vulnerable local residents.
Some 14,866 deaths were recorded across England and Wales in the week ending January 16th, the Office for National Statistics confirmed.
That figure shows a rise of almost 4,000 fatalities on the same period last year.

The deaths for December and January combined are expected to be at their highest since 1999-2000.

PA

A swathe of air from the North Pole has forced the Met Office to issue cold weather warnings

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even week old Labrador puppy Tess experiences snow for the first time

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Heavy snowfall across northern England is predicted until Thursday

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More than 10inches of snow is expected to settle in highland areas of northern Scotland

This means the total number of winter-related deaths could rise to 40,000 if the increased rate continues at the same pace until March 31 2015.
"Excess winter deaths look like potentially reaching 45,000," said National Federation of Occupational Pensioners’ chief executive Malcolm Booth.
"That would be a disaster for the elderly.
"Winter deaths are a tragedy for families of those affected but it appears the underlying causes have still not been properly addressed."
Prime Minister David Cameron last night warned members of the public about the dangers of dropping temperatures.
"People should listen to warnings," he said gravely "I have asked for an update on our heavy snow contingency plans.
The mercury is set to continue its downward spiral this week, with temperatures dropping to a low of -3C.
A swathe of air from the North Pole has forced the Met Office to issue cold weather warnings for the majority of the UK.

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The MetOffice alert warned the public to take care on the roads during the period

"Temperatures are looking widely low single figures, with really strong northwesterly winds making wind chill a factor," said George Goodfellow, a forecaster for MeteoGroup.
"There will be some quite cold nights with sub-zero temperatures.
"We are expecting a lot of places could be dry but there may be some showers on the east coast and the north, which could get icy."
Met Office has issues amber warnings across much of northern England where heavy snowfall is predicted until Thursday.
More than 10inches of snow is expected to settle in highland areas of northern Scotland this week as gusts of up to 60 and 70mph will lash northern Britain.
The alert warned the public to take care on the roads during the period.