Emergency protocol in place amid 'severe weather' in Adur and Worthing

With temperatures at zero degrees or below, Adur and Worthing Councils said the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been in effect since Tuesday (November 19).

The councils said this means: “All rough sleepers in Adur and Worthing who have no alternative option for these nights can access accommodation if they need to.”

This comes after the councils reported that an ‘increasing number’ of people are reporting themselves as homeless in Adur and Worthing.

They said ‘one of the greatest financial challenges’ is the ‘rising bill for housing vulnerable people’.

Amid the freezing weather conditions, outreach teams are ‘advising rough sleepers’ and working with the housing needs team to ‘assist them into accommodation, as well as checking on their welfare’.

A social media post added: “If you are worried about someone who is sleeping rough, please use the Streetlink website or app to report your concerns: https://thestreetlink.org.uk/.

“Your messages will be sent directly to our outreach services who will try to find individuals and notify them of their options.”

After snowfall hit Sussex this morning (Thursday, November 21), the Met Office predicted that snow and sleet will continue to fall until early in the afternoon, around 12pm, but said skies will be clear later today around 1pm.

It comes after fresh warnings for snow and ice were issued by the Met Office as Arctic air ‘continues to dominate the UK’s weather’.

The Met Office has issued a number of yellow warnings for snow, ice and rain across the UK for this weekend.

A spokesperson said: “Friday will see a brief respite for some, while snow showers will continue to feed into northern coastal areas, topping up snow accumulations over high ground but reaching lower levels at times.

“However, Saturday will see a shift to more widely wet and windy conditions, with warnings already issued to highlight potential disruption from rain and snow.”

Currently, Sussex is not affected by the yellow warnings but is expected to be hit by heavy rain.

The Met Office said the shift to milder air will be ‘accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds’ through Saturday and into Sunday, with low ‘pressure in charge of the UK’s weather’.