Home Office faces legal action over ‘prison-like’ migrant hotels

Two charities are taking the Home Office to court over overcrowded migrant hotels, which they have described as “prison-like” and say are forcing trafficking and torture survivors to share rooms with strangers.

The Helen Bamber Foundation and Freedom from Torture accuse the government of leaving survivors of severe forms of violence “at risk of serious harm in harmful and unsuitable asylum accommodation”.

Their case, which will be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday, challenges policy changes that they argue make it much harder for charities to prevent survivors from being forced to live in large accommodation sites or to share rooms with strangers.

The Home Office is accused of failing to consult the charities before making the changes, which were brought in by the previous Conservative government at the start of 2024, but continue to be defended by the current Labour government.

The action comes as the government face growing criticism after home secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled sweeping plans to overhaul the UK’s asylum system on Monday, which will see the government overhaul human rights laws in a bid to ramp up deportations.

The Helen Bamber Foundation said: “Trafficking and torture survivors who come to the UK to find protection have fled some of the worst forms of human cruelty. They are often traumatised, isolated and at high risk of being exploited again. A sense of safety and security is incredibly important for them to recover.

“But since 2019, the Home Office has been placing them in ‘prison-like’ asylum sites or in overcrowded hotels where they are forced to share rooms with strangers. These conditions remind them of their past experiences of abuse and can be re-traumatising.”

They warned that the changes “significantly affect survivors’ mental health, feelings of safety, and the ability of human rights organisations to support survivors in their recovery”.

Jacob, a torture and abuse survivor who suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), said he is living in constant fear, worried that he might be forced to share a room again.

He told The Independent: “I was so tired, and I needed to rest and sleep… I would rather move outside London than be in a room again with strangers. I don’t know anyone there, but I will bear it… You can’t imagine how I felt in that room – I couldn’t sleep, I was triggered because I felt unsafe.”

Jacob, who is in his early 40s and from Eritrea, said he was struggling to eat, unable to start the therapy he needs, and even began self-harming as his distress around his unstable housing mounted. He said he was even faced with the choice between a shared room with a stranger or homelessness last year.

The Helen Bamber Foundation said it asked the Home Office to exempt Jacob – who cannot share his surname for safety reasons – from sharing a room due to his severe mental health symptoms, but the request was rejected. However, it said hotel staff have now told him no one will be moving into his room after all – but the anxiety still looms large.

Prior to February 2024, the Helen Bamber Foundation said there was a protective presumption that survivors of torture, trafficking or other forms of serious physical, psychological or sexual violence, and those with disabilities, should be exempted from room sharing. Then, in a move the charity described as “sudden and without warning”, the government “fundamentally changed” the Allocation of Asylum Accommodation policy, which determines how and where people seeking refuge are housed by the Home Office during their claim process.

In June this year, the Home Office published a new version of the policy, keeping the changes that the charities condemn as “unlawful”.

Helen Bamber Foundation and Freedom from Torture accuse the home secretary of having “breached her duty to consult with stakeholders” and “failed to adequately assess the impact of the changes on survivors”.

Mwa Mbuyi Kapinga, a survivor of torture and recognised refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said: “People make a decision about your life very easily. They don’t consider everything… They don’t understand that it is your life. You are a number. You are a statistic. They think it’s the same story for everybody, which is not the case. They don’t see your vulnerability. They don’t see the impact of it on your life.”

She spent seven and a half years living in asylum accommodation, including sharing a house with 15 people and her bedroom with a stranger at one point.

She said: “You are exhausted like that, you close your eyes. And then someone comes to switch on the light, whilst you are already struggling with nightmares – so you think something is happening, so you jump, you think ‘they’re here to catch me or they want to kill me’.”

She added: “It was really filthy. Nowhere to put your food. I spent three days without being able to cook, only eating cereal. It was so dirty I didn’t even shower.”

Her living situation left her struggling to the point that she became suicidal, she said. “When a survivor is struggling in such situations like I was in, you feel like you are on the edge.”

Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of Advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: “The previous government allowed an unforgivable crisis to develop in asylum accommodation and survivors of torture and trauma are paying the price. We are bitterly disappointed that the government has decided to uphold this damaging policy, which continues to cause harm to people who’ve already been through so much. It’s time for those in power to listen to the experts and provide safe and secure housing for people seeking sanctuary.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

Ex-Liverpool star facing bankruptcy battle after row with brother

Former Premier League star Steve Finnan is facing an attempt to make him bankrupt following a marathon legal battle sparked by a multi-million pound row with his brother.

Mr Finnan, who won the Champions League with Liverpool, ended up embroiled in almost a decade of legal strife after getting involved in a disastrous property business with his brother, Sean.

After he became concerned about the way the business was being run around 2016, he sued Sean, before eventually securing a £4million settlement at the High Court in 2018.

But the footballer did not get his money, instead having his brother made bankrupt in July 2019, before getting involved in a series of court fights with his solicitors.

One such case – an attempt to have a Charles Russell Speechlys lawyer jailed for contempt of court during a failed £6m negligence claim against the firm – ended in him facing a five-figure costs bill.

However, the Irish former fullback has not paid his debt and is now facing a petition to make him bankrupt at Central London County Court.

Yesterday, the case went to the High Court, where he tried to appeal earlier orders in the bankruptcy case, but was told by a judge that he was only “delaying” things with a “hopeless” appeal.

“I form the strong view that this appeal simply amounts to an attempt on his part to delay the final hearing of this petition for as long as possible,” said Mr Justice Mellor.

Limerick-born Mr Finnan, 49, enjoyed a stellar Premier League career with Fulham, Liverpool and Portsmouth, winning Champions League and FA Cup medals, as well as playing more than 50 times for his country.

His troubles began when a property business set up with his brother went sour, resulting in him beginning a court claim against his sibling.

As part of the settlement of the claim in 2018, he was due to receive £4m, but instead had his brother made bankrupt in 2019 when he failed to pay up.

Amidst almost a decade of trouble, he then unsuccessfully sued the solicitors he first used, Charles Russell Speechlys, for £6m for professional negligence. The claim was struck out by a judge.

He also became embroiled in further litigation with the solicitors who took over his case, Candey Ltd, after disputing their bills for taking it on, losing that dispute too.

The debt at the centre of the bankruptcy bid is a five-figure sum which he owes following failed contempt of court proceedings against a solicitor at Charles Russell Speechlys.

The bankruptcy petition was ultimately transferred to Central London County Court, where District Judge Carla Revere in June made a series of directions and orders relating to the case.

However, Mr Finnan lodged an appeal against part of the order which recorded the transfer of the case to the county court, with the result that the September date for the final hearing in the bankruptcy case had to be cancelled.

Representing himself, he argued that the case is too “complex” to be decided by the county court and should instead be elevated to a High Court judge, given the amounts of money involved in the background.

He also claimed “apparent bias” against him by District Judge Revere and questioned whether she had the power to make orders which she did.

But rejecting his appeal, Mr Justice Mellor said the bankruptcy petition itself did not involve the millions of pounds which feature elsewhere in his disputes – but instead a costs order of under £50,000.

“Standing back, it is surprising that Mr Finnan has challenged this directions order…his complaints are largely procedural and have no substance,” he said.

“I form the strong view that this appeal simply amounts to an attempt on his part to delay the final hearing of this petition for as long as possible.

“I refuse permission to appeal and I dismiss the appeal. I also certify this appeal is totally without merit. It was, at all times, completely hopeless.

“The petition will have to be the subject of further directions. I think they’re best given by a judge in the insolvency list.

“It is highly likely that any such further order for directions will repeat the directions in District Judge Revere’s order.”

No date was set for the bankruptcy case to return to court.

Inside the scandals of the school WhatsApp group – and what you really can’t say

A couple who were “unlawfully arrested” for criticising their daughter’s primary school on a parent WhatsApp group have received a £20,000 payout from Hertfordshire Police.

Times Radio producer Maxie Allen, 50, and his partner Rosalind Levine, 46, were stunned when they were led away by six uniformed police officers in January on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications and detained by police for 11 hours, after the school reported them.

Cowley Hill Primary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, had already raised concerns to police over receiving high volumes of emails and calls, and negative social media posts, before police arrested them after the WhatsApp group criticism. Allen said that when they looked back on the parents’ group chat, the “spiciest thing” they could find was when Levine called a senior figure in the school a “control freak”. After a five-week investigation, Hertfordshire Constabulary concluded there was no case to answer.

The school WhatsApp is always pure drama – and often as gripping as The Traitors. You’re always on edge, wondering who is in, who is out and what is going to blow up next.

The worst scandal to hit me was when it looked like I’d defaced a photograph of another person’s child with coloured squiggles on the reception class WhatsApp when all the parents had posted festive shots of their children on Christmas Day.

“Why would somebody do this?” the mum messaged on the group chat. “Have you considered that maybe it’s a mistake before you jump to conclusions?” said another. “Well, why hasn’t she replied then?” another mum asked.

By the time a friend alerted me to the explosive situation by texting me “Have you seen the class WhatsApp?”, it had been going on for hours. I couldn’t understand how it had happened – until I remembered I’d handed my daughter Liberty, then five, my phone to show her the lovely photos of her classmates, and she must have accidentally pressed the wrong buttons.

I said: “Sorry, it is a mistake – Liberty must have unknowingly pressed the phone edit tool.”

Working parents like me end up drowning in the ping after ping of “friendly reminders” about bringing in wellness vouchers for hampers and signing up to accompany the class on swimming trips.

Then if you share a strong opinion about something – or you threaten to upstage another parent on the front line – you can get shamed and end up feeling like you’re hauled up on Prime Minister’s Questions, for daring to suggest doing things a different way.

There’s the communal eye roll at the Last-Minute Panicker: “Does anyone know what they need for the trip today??” This message always comes the day after the school sent a detailed email and is guaranteed to spark a whole other WhatsApp side-group chat behind that parent’s back for “treating everyone else like her personal PA”.

There’s the Link-Bomber – that parent dispatching urgent advice about privacy settings on your Facebook settings that everyone else knows was a hoax from three years ago, or conspiracy theories about everything from vaccines to nutrition advice. There’s the Out-of-Hours Chatterer who messages the group after 11pm – often checking in from the back of a cab “catching up on the chat”, giving off some serious no boundaries energy. There is the Boaster, the Oversharer and the Event Hijacker: “hi just jumping on here to see if you can all still come to Pia’s birthday party”.

It’s often fairly tepid: lost PE kits, voting for a class Christmas tree: two small pre-lit trees or one bigger pre-lit tree? But then it can get wild for three hours in a phenomenon called swarming, which often happens when the Gossip Merchant wades in and sparks a heated debate like what’s being taught in sex education, or a complaint about a teacher, or even worse, another pupil.

Mistakes happen. One mum sent an entire Google doc with her work presentation for a top-secret Christmas advert to Class 3 parents when she posted in the wrong chat. Another parent booked a table thinking it was a restaurant and one mum posted a music video of herself singing in a cornfield.

There are blazing rows – beefs that are taken offline when someone is ignored or says something The Unofficial Organiser (because there is always one) takes offence to. I remember one friend being reduced to tears when everyone piled in on her when she had gently asked if the Christmas fair could be held on a weekend so working parents like her could get involved. She thought she was being helpful, the others thought she was being difficult “when she hardly does anything ever”.

It’s pretty ruthless. I tend to avoid post-explosive WhatsApp disputes by wearing a huge hooded puffer coat at the school gate so I can go incognito, or else pretend to be on my phone incessantly so I look busy. School parent groups are just not worth the hassle. It’s a full-time job to keep on top of it. I have two children at the same school – Lola, nine, and Liberty, seven – and I’d estimate it’s easily 100 messages a week per class.

Not taking part in class WhatsApps might make me look disinterested – and I’m lucky in that I have some mum friends who follow the “Goldilocks” rule of just being involved enough to tell me about party invitations and important changes to the school timetable.

To be honest, if I got back on the class WhatsApp full throttle, it’d take up half my working day – and I’d have to force myself not to react to points that irritated me. I admit, though, to secretly stalking it and having the odd glance. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t? It’s far too exciting to miss. But only when the volume is turned right down. Preferably on mute.

It’s obvious Trump is targeting Venezuela for one thing above all else

The United States has killed 90 people this year in “extrajudicial executions” – state-sponsored murders – largely targeting people on alleged smuggling boats from Venezuela.

Now Donald Trump has an American aircraft carrier group steaming through the Caribbean, threatening an invasion – based on lies.

The US justification for killing suspected drug smugglers is that they’re flooding America with deadly fentanyl.

Aside from the obvious legal issues; such as not firing warning shots at the smugglers, not arresting them (as has been the norm) and forever cutting the victims out of any due process of law, America’s justification for the killings is nonsense.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the US, and every other relevant source of information on the scourge of fentanyl in America, NONE of the deadly opiate comes from, or via, Venezuela.

It gets to the US from Mexico – the precursor chemicals to make it come from China.

Mexicans aren’t being bombed. There’s no threat to invade Beijing.

In this new rogue order – that Trump did not invent but is amplifying – international law and ethics mean nothing. It is might that makes right in Trump’s book, and invasion, a form of real estate acquisition by other means.

He has notably hosted Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin on American soil and ignored international arrest warrants for the men who have both been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Putin claimed to be invading Ukraine to save its Russian population from Kyiv’s Nazi dominance. That was a lie and now vast numbers of Ukraine’s Russian speakers are refugees, or dead, killed by Russia.

But Trump has acknowledged that he believes Russia has a “right” to Ukrainian territory because so many Russians have died fighting for it.

Trump has also enthusiastically suggested that Gaza should be emptied of Palestinians and turned into a seaside resort. Lately he’s reported to be backing a plan to turn it into a colony under Tony Blair.

These are terrible ideas and illegal under international law which forbids the forced displacement of populations.

No matter.

Meanwhile, Trump doesn’t like the regime of Nicolas Maduro, who has ruled the oil-rich country since 2013.

Maduro is a dictator and stole the July election last year from opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez who later fled to exile in Spain.

The securocrats who support him have been allowed to run sidelines in smuggling drugs and gold. The rotten system may extend all the way to the top – amid US sanctions and international isolation.

Trump likes strongmen who disregard democratic norms. Victor Orban, Putin, and China’s Xi Jinping are the men he appears to most admire or consider peers. They are authoritarian capitalists. Maduro’s sin may be his claim to be a “socialist”.

The Venezuelan leader says he believes Trump wants to depose him. The White House says this isn’t true.

But there is no immediately obvious reason why Trump would be killing small teams of Venezuelans on motorboats and sending a fleet to intimidate Caracas – except regime change.

The White House has justified its killings of alleged drug smugglers and fishermen from Venezuela, because the US is in a “non-international conflict” with “narco-terrorists” who are killing Americans with drugs.

The UN says the killings are “extrajudicial executions” – and Amnesty International agrees. The UK and Colombia have reportedly suspended intelligence sharing in the Caribbean over the targeting of the alleged smuggler boats.

But now Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has said Cartel de los Soles, a group the US alleges is led by Maduro, will be designated a terrorist organisation.

Al Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State, Hamas, the Real Irish Republican Army and others have all been designated terror groups. So have several Mexican drug cartels.

But in designating Venezuela’s president as being at the helm of a narco-terrorist organisation, the head of state is now firmly in America’s cross-hairs.

There has been consternation in the top echelons of the US military over the killings in the Caribbean. Admiral Alvin Holsey, the US commander in the region, is to step down next month – two years early.

It is understood he raised legal and ethical objections to the use of the Pentagon’s assets in killing civilians under a doctrine usually reserved for attacks on armed operators posing an immediate violent danger to America or her citizens.

In a statement to The Independent, a Justice Department spokesperson said: “The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders.

“Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and, as such, are not subject to prosecution for following lawful orders.”

The crews of some 75 US aircraft, 5,000 troops, spies, and special forces are now gearing up as they approach Venezuela.

They’d better hope they’ve got good lawyers.

Major motorway closed after chemicals spilled in tanker crash

A major motorway has closed after a tanker crashed with a car, causing major delays for motorists on Tuesday morning.

The M40 southbound remains closed between J8A in Oxford and J6 in Watlington after a large spillage of bitumen from the tanker damaged the road, National Highways said.

National Highways has warned travellers to expect travel delays as work continues to clean up the spillage from the crash, which took place at around 7.45pm on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, it said: “There is around 3 miles of congestion on approach to the closure which is adding about half an hour to normal journey times.”

Emergency services responded to the scene overnight, where nobody was injured, and worked with specialist teams to contain the spillage from the tanker.

A replacement tanker and specialist recovery team then arrived at the site of the crash at around 3.40am to transfer the remaining load of the bitumen.

The roads remain closed as the spillage continues to be pumped, and will remain closed off until the affected lanes have been planed and resurfaced.

“Unfortunately, the replacement tanker has been unable to pump the contents from the casualty tanker and therefore recovery cannot take place at present. Plans are underway to source another tanker to continue with the pumping operation”, National Highways said.

“Our engineers have assessed the road surface and confirmed significant damage. Because the bitumen has hardened on the carriageway, simple clean-up isn’t enough, the affected lanes will need to be planed and resurfaced. This work can only be done safely under a full closure.”

National Highways has warned travellers impacted by the road closures to allow extra journey time, and advises road users to exit the M40 at J8A and head onto the A418/A40.

Ten compelling reasons to have your next adventure in Missouri

Missouri is the true heart of America, surrounded by eight states and roughly halfway between the north and south of the country. Known for its breathtaking national parks, sizzling barbecue, and even hotter jazz and sports scene, Missouri has more than meets the eye.

Springfield celebrates 100 years of the “Mother Road” in 2026. The birthplace of the famous 2,448-mile highway will host a music concert, vintage car parade and family events. Missouri’s Route 66 highlights include Meramec Caverns (once a hideout for the infamous Jesse James), St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, where refurbished original neon signs are on display, and Red Oak II, which is both an art installation and living museum.

visitmo.com/in-the-spotlight/route-66

You’d be forgiven for not knowing that sliced bread was invented in Chillicothe, Missouri, which is why this charming museum celebrates the pioneers who brought sliced bread to the world in 1928. The Sliced Bread Innovation Center includes a replica of the first slicing machine and a bread-themed escape room. Located on the “Way of American Genius,” or Highway 36 as your Sat Nav might call it, the scenic 200-mile route connects picturesque towns linked with American innovation, including Walt Disney’s childhood home and the town that inspired many of Mark Twain’s novels.

thehomeofslicedbread.com

americangeniushighway.com

St. Louis Gateway Arch might be the tallest arch in the world at 192m, but it’s located in America’s smallest national park of just 91 acres. Completed in 1965 in the heart of downtown St. Louis, the arch symbolises the westward expansion of the United States. A tram of small cylindrical pods carries visitors to the apex where they’re greeted with panoramic views across the Mississippi River and state of Missouri beyond.

gatewayarch.com

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is one of Missouri’s best spots for spending the day on the water. The riverways are comprised of 134-miles of federally protected winding river, springs, caves, and forests. Wallow in the crystal-clear waters of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers and camp at the beautiful Alley Spring Campground. While you’re there, hike to see the beautiful spring and the big, red, century-old mill that sits on its bank. Go to a local outfitter to get a canoe, kayak or inflatable tube to float downstream.

nps.gov/ozar

Illegal gambling, prohibition speakeasies and a rowdy jazz scene christened Kansas City as the “Paris of the Plains” in the 1920s, but these days the grand boulevards and Beaux-Arts architecture combine with modern additions that give Kansas City a spirit of its own. Follow the bassline to 18th and Vine Jazz District or seek out a potent Rendezvous cocktail and live jazz at VOO Lounge, inside the historic Muehlebach Hotel.

vookansascity.com

Kansas City and St. Louis are known for their legendary barbecue joints, but you can get mouthwatering meals outside the big city. Roadside shacks like Missouri Hick BBQ in Cuba, Missouri, serve pulled pork and slaw on Route 66, or stop for slow cooked ribs at Wabash BBQ in Excelsior Springs, housed in the old train depot. Missouri is renowned for its spicy rub and thick, sweet and smokey tomato-based barbecue sauce, especially slathered over the “burnt ends” of beef brisket.

missourihick.com

wabashbbq.com

Known as “The Cave State,” with more than 7,500 caves hidden within its limestone rocks, Missouri’s landscape holds many treasures. At Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, wander the subterranean labyrinths that inspired part of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Marvel Cave, located under Silver Dollar City in Branson, is the state’s deepest cave. It’s main cavern, the Cathedral Room, is so massive it once held three hot air balloons.

marktwaincave.com

With over 115 wineries and eight wine trails, you won’t get thirsty. Van Till Winery in Rayville is Missouri’s first regenerative vineyard and sustainably produces around 25 wines, including a full-bodied dry red pressed from the official state grape, Norton. Make a day of it and sip your way along the Northwest Missouri Wine Trail, visiting nine wineries nearby.

vantillfarms.com

missouriwine.org

The Pony Express, America’s first horsepowered mail delivery service, originated in Missouri, but RS Ranch Trail Rides in Bourbon offers more leisurely horseback fun. Follow outlaw trails on a native Foxtrotter horse, hop aboard a hayride, or get back to nature with a cowboy-style Chuckwagon cookout under the stars.

rsranchrides.com

Missouri and sports go together like ribs and sauce, which means baseball, hockey, American football and even soccer are a big deal. As Kansas City gears up to host World Cup 2026, you can catch a game every season at one of the state’s two professional soccer teams or many league matches. Kansas City Current proudly plays in CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team.

kansascityfwc26.com

kansascitycurrent.com

stlcitysc.com

Trump unveils Fifa ‘pass’ to give priority visas to World Cup visitors

Soccer fans who purchase tickets for next year’s Fifa World Cup in the United States will have the opportunity to jump the line for visa interviews at American embassies around the world, President Donald Trump announced Monday.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Trump said his administration is rolling out what he called the Fifa Prioritized Appointment Scheduling System — the “Fifa pass” — to allow World Cup ticket holders to sign up for a “prioritized interview.”

He also said the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security were working “tirelessly” together to “ensure that soccer fans from all around the world are properly vetted and able to come to the United States next summer easily.”

“I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I think it’s going to be the greatest. And we are setting records on ticket sales,” Trump said.

Infantino, who has become a frequent presence in the Trump White House and has cultivated a close relationship with the president as next year’s World Cup approaches, told reporters that Fifa expects “between 5 and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup.”

“With this Fifa pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket that are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, they can come and attend the World Cup in the best condition, starting from getting their visa and then coming in the country to enjoy,” he said.

Infantino added that 6 billion people are expected to watch next year’s World Cup across the globe, with 1 billion expected to watch the World Cup draw that will be held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

After the Fifa boss had finished his impromptu remarks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that his department has deployed “over 400 additional consular officers” to embassies worldwide to handle World Cup-related visa requests, effectively doubling the number of officers in “certain countries.”

“The good news now is about 80 percent of the world you can get an appointment within 60 days. It used to take, you know, half a year or longer,” Rubio said.

“So our advice to everybody is, if you have a ticket for any of the games, you need to apply. If you haven’t done so as soon as possible, don’t wait till the last minute. Your ticket is not a visa. It doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. It guarantees you an expedited appointment.”

Rubio added that World Cup ticket holders making use of the “Fifa pass” would undergo “the same vetting as anybody else would get.”

“The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue. We’re moving them up faster. But my advice to everyone that’s watching around the world is, if you intend to come to the games, you have to have a ticket. You need to apply. Apply as soon as possible,” he said.

Weather map: Where will it snow in the UK this week?

Parts of the UK are set to see snowfall this week as temperatures plunge in the first cold snap of the winter.

The Met Office has warned that the next seven days will be “markedly colder” than it was last week, with “harsh frost” expected on some days.

The forecaster has issued multiple yellow weather warnings for snow and ice affecting parts of Scotland and northern England from Monday to Thursday, with sub-zero temperatures expected.

Five are in place on Tuesday, while two remain in northern Scotland and the east coast on Thursday.

It comes as yellow and amber health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency for cold weather came into place on Monday.

The amber warning is in place for the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, while a yellow alert is in place for the rest of England until 8am on Saturday.

Wet weather is expected across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern and western parts of England and Wales on Tuesday.

“With that cold air we have across us, no wonder we are going to see some sleet and snow mixed in with that as well,” Met office meteorologist Alex Burkill said.

Icy patches are expected across the country on Tuesday, which may lead to some “difficult, slippery conditions”, and parts of Scotland may see snow.

He continued: “There is an area of low pressure that’s pushing its way southwards as we go through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, and that’s bringing the focus for that burst of showery rain, with a bit of sleet, bit of hill snow mixed in, but a lot of that is going to be clearing away towards the south as we go through the morning.”

Temperatures for much of the UK will be down “a couple of degrees” on Wednesday, including across the south where it will turn colder than average for this time of year.

Deputy Chief Forecaster Tom Crabtree explained: “Wednesday to Friday will be the coldest part of the week, and this period has the greatest potential for impactful weather, with multiple warnings in place.

“Overnight, temperatures could get down to minus ten, with a significant wind chill from the strong northerly wind making things feel even colder.

“I’m not sure how much wintry stuff we’re going to see across the southern areas, mostly just falling as rain.”

He added: “Northern parts of Scotland seeing plenty, and also down the eastern side of England and eastern Scotland as well – plenty of these rain, sleet and snow showers.”

By Wednesday, most of the country will be under a cold Arctic airmass, with a strong and cold flow making temperatures feel colder.

Deputy Chief Forecaster Tom Crabtree said this would be the coldest part of the week, with temperatures expected to get down to minus ten.

Wintry snow showers are expected to extend south through Wednesday and into Thursday, mainly affecting north facing coastal areas.

He said 2-5cm of snow could be seen in some low-lying areas in the north and east, while hills in parts of Northern Ireland, the northeast of England and Scotland could see 5-10 cm of snowfall.

He said: “With sub-zero temperatures in the first ‘cold snap’ of the year, updates to the current warnings are possible, so its important people keep up to date with the forecast.”