From floods to -8C freeze

BRITAIN will be plunged into a week of freezing temperatures as low as -8C, sparking a series of official warnings.

- Helen Barnett

An amber cold health alert has been issued as doctors fear an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for ice from 4am this morning across London and the South East with more than an inch of snow possible.

Many regions still coping with flooding in the aftermath of Storm Henk will be blasted by the freezing weather.

While much of the week is set to be dry and sunny, snow and sleet is forecast in the South and on higher ground with a bitter bite to the air across England and Wales.