UK households are being urged to buy six essential food items at supermarkets this week as the country braces for a bout of severe weather.
A series of amber and yellow weather warnings are currently in place with a combination of heavy rain, strong winds, ice and snow forecast for the New Year period.
The Met Office is warning people to prepare for “disruptive” weather over the next few days as almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning this week.
Heavy rain and strong winds will blast parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England from now until Thursday, while up to 5cm of snow is forecast in northern Scotland heading into the New Year.
The national forecaster has warned that power cuts are likely, mobile phone coverage may be disrupted and some rural communities could become cut off. As such, households are being urged to be prepared for the bout of cold weather by ensuring they have essential items on hand.
The Met Office warns: “You could be without food, heat or light if you are cut off by snow and cannot access services and amenities for a number of days. Act now and be prepared, by getting the essentials together that you could need.”
As well as torches and battery packs, it's recommended that people ensure their home is well stocked with essential food items during a bout of bad weather.
Direct Energy advises stocking up on non-perishable snacks and supplies in the event that you aren't able to get to your local shop, or you're affected by a power outage, so you don't go hungry.
According to the energy firm, households should make sure they have these six key items ahead of a snowstorm:
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Bread
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Milk
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Tinned goods, such as soups and stews
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Snack foods, such as crisps, crackers and cookies in sealed packages
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Cereal and granola
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Dried pasta and jars of sauce
The firm says: “After heavy snowfall or blizzard conditions, you could find yourself snowed in for days. Getting cut off from your local grocery store could be made worse by a prolonged power outage, which would leave you with just a few hours to enjoy the remaining contents of your fridge safely.
“But if you stock your pantry with filling shelf-stable foods, you won't go hungry while waiting for the snow to be cleared.”
The wintry weather is forecast to continue into this weekend, with temperatures turning distinctly colder.
The Met Office adds: “Wintry showers are expected to affect the far north and east at times, but away from these, sunshine will be much more widespread than in recent days. Overnight temperatures will widely fall below freezing, perhaps reaching minus double digits in areas of Scotland already covered in snow.
“Snow and ice are likely to lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions on New Year's Day and overnight until January 2 in parts of northern Scotland, and a Yellow Warning has been issued.”