SCOTS are ill-prepared for the incoming cold snap with far too few stocking up on essential winter supplies, experts have warned.
The country woke this morning to near-freezing temperatures as the Arctic bite threatens to supplant the fairly mild autumn.
With the frost already beginning to bite, forecasters have issued a winter checklist to help prevent elderly and vulnerable residents from being shut off from the community.
Scots are being advised to make sure their flu jab is up to date, that there homes are heated to at least 18C and that homeowners know where their stoptap is located.
Ensuring the road-worthiness of any vehicles is also vital, with people urged to check tyres, to ensure they have anti-freeze screen wash available and to put together a winter kit that should include an ice scraper, de-icer, jump leads, a shovel, a blanket, sunglasses and a torch.
Derrick Ryall, executive head of public weather services at the Met Office, added: “People in the UK are resilient and severe winter weather is something we’re all used to, so we sometimes underestimate its impact on our everyday lives.
Full article available on Herald Scotland
