Level 3 cold weather warning in England

The Met Office is anticipating severe cold weather and icy conditions over the coming week and has released a Level 3 cold weather warning this morning.  

Staff, students and visitors to UCL are urged to check their travel routes, and to take care on any icy pathways once here. We’d also urge you to check TfL for the latest updates about disruption to journeys in London, as services may be impacted.  

Our campus will remain open for activity as usual and we have certain areas of campus, such as the Student Centre, which will remain open and warm 24/7 throughout this period. Our library and study spaces page has a full list of our study spaces and their opening times which are available for you to access.  

We will be monitoring our buildings during this time to maintain appropriate workplace temperatures. If you are concerned about the temperature where you're working and feel that the space is too cold, please raise a service request with the Estates Service Request Form and we will prioritise responding to these. Staff should feel free to wear warmer, more comfortable clothes where needed, rather than more formal office dress.  

We are aware that some individuals or rooms may use additional heating sources during cold weather periods. Please ensure that these are always turned off when the room is left and not left unsupervised. We also recommend that oil filled (radiant) radiator type heaters are used rather than alternative radiant or convector heaters, as these are not as likely to overheat and create a fire safety risk. More information can be found on our fire safety pages around portable temporary space heaters, electrical plugs, sockets and adaptors. 

The Government has advice available online at the Cold Weather Plan for England to help you stay warm and well during cold weather. This includes: 

• Look out for friends and family who may be vulnerable to the cold, and ensure they have access to warm food and drinks and are managing to heat their homes adequately.  
• Try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18°C, particularly if you are not mobile, have a long-term illness or are 65 or over.  
• Avoid exposing yourself to cold or icy outdoor conditions if you are at a higher risk of cold-related illness or falls. 

If you want more information about how cold weather can affect your health please visit www.nhs.uk. If you are concerned about your health or somebody you care for, advice can be obtained from www.nhs.uk/winterhealth, NHS 111 or your local pharmacist.