The cold weather alert issued for the whole of Suffolk has been extended.
The UK Health Protection Agency initially issued an amber alert for the entire county between 12pm on Thursday and 9am on Saturday.
However, it has now been extended to 12 noon on Wednesday, January 8.
An amber alert, the second most severe alert issued by the UKHSA, means that the predicted cold weather is likely to impact health and social care services.
It also means that vulnerable people and those over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions will see “an increase in deaths” and are expected to be in greater need of health services.
Temperatures in hospitals, care homes and clinics are likely to fall below recommended levels and may face staffing problems due to external factors such as travel disruption.
It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow across the western part of the county between Saturday afternoon and 9am Monday.
It warned of delays or cancellations to rail and air travel, as well as possible delays to travel on roads.
There may be a risk of power cuts and other services such as mobile phone coverage may also be affected.
