A cold weather alert has been issued for the whole of England.

The UK Health Security Agency says extremely cold weather is set to hit the country over the next few days with ice, frost and below freezing temperatures expected.

The Met Office says it expects bitterly cold temperatures, particularly today, tonight and tomorrow, while the UKHSA is encouraging people to stay warm indoors and look out for friends, family or neighbours that are most at risk from the effects of the cold weather and freezing temperatures.

Agostinho Sousa, a consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: "Cold weather can have a serious impact on health, particularly for older people and those with heart and lung problems, as it increases the risks of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.

"It’s important to check on those who are more vulnerable to cold weather, including older neighbours or relatives – especially those living alone or those who have serious illness.

"Remind them to heat their home to at least 18 Celsius, 64.4 Fahrenheit and to keep up to date with the forecast."

Earlier this week cold weather warnings had been issued for the north of England, while flood warnings were issued by The Environment Agency for Kent and other coastal areas on Tuesday because of large tidal surges. But it is now expected that the freezing temperatures - previously consigned to the north - will now affect most of the country.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Andy Page, said: "A cold northerly flow will be bringing a drop in temperature to most of the UK for the next few days, particularly when compared with the recent mild weather.

"Wednesday night will see a sharp frost across most of the UK, with temperatures dropping below freezing across much of the country."

The UKHSA says further information on staying warm is available in its Keep Warm Keep Well guide that includes advice such as heating only one room, having plenty of hot food and drink to keep body temperatures higher and using multiple thin layers to trap heat rather than one thick layer.

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