A cold weather alert warning has been issued for the north west of England.
The warning area, which includes Cumbria, has a 70 per cent probability of severe cold weather between 3pm tomorrow and 3pm on Monday.
A spokesman for the Met Office, which issued the warning, said: "This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services."
Dr Thomas Waite, consultant in Extreme Events for the government, said: "Every winter thousands of people die because of their exposure to cold weather and we also know that every winter doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and other parts of the NHS are kept busy as people fall ill - that’s why it’s really important that we all do everything we can to ensure everyone stays well this winter.
"Think about how the bad weather may affect your friends, family and neighbours, particularly if they are older or very young or have pre-existing health conditions. These groups can be particularly vulnerable to the ill-effects of cold so think now what you could do to help.
"We advise keeping homes heated to at least 18C, stocking up on food and medicine before cold weather sets in and wearing lots of thin layers instead of fewer thick ones.
"Much of this is common sense but there are people at very real risk when temperatures drop. Now is the time to think about what we can all do for ourselves and others."
The Cumbria Community Foundation continues to offer winter fuel grants to people struggling between heating and eating.
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