Day: January 5, 2025

UK News: Met Office upgrades weather warning for snow and ice from yellow to amber for much of northern and central England while health services on alert

Today, the UK is braced for freezing rain – but what is that?

The Met Office describes it as “a rare type of liquid precipitation that strikes a cold surface, and freezes almost instantly”.

The conditions needed for freezing rain are quite specific and we don’t see this phenomenon very often in the UK. It can produce striking effects, as the rain drop spreads out momentarily across the surface before it freezes, encasing the surface in a layer of clear ice.

However, it is not just these eye-catching scenes which the freezing rain can bring; the weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TH9qWZ

UK News: Met police say they are supporting 31-year-old’s family, who described him as a ‘wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many’

A British man was among 14 people killed in a New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans, it has been confirmed.

The Metropolitan police said they were supporting the family of Edward Pettifer, 31, of Chelsea, who was killed in the attack in Bourbon Street. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TH9qVB

Doctors will be given £20 each time they consult with a specialist to see if there is an alternative to hospital visits

GPs will be offered financial incentives to discuss with specialists whether patients can be treated outside hospital, under radical plans to cut NHS waiting lists.

Doctors will be given £20 each time they consult a specialist either by phone or email under the so-called advice and guidance (A&G) scheme, to see if there is an alternative to hospital visits and treatment. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TH9qHl