Emergency shelters in place for rough sleepers through cold weather
Temperatures dropped to below freezing on Thursday evening (2 January) across Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Worcester City Council and Herefordshire Council say support and emergency shelters will be in place for those homeless and rough sleeping throughout the cold weather.
Temperatures across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire dipped below freezing last night (2 January), and are set to remain low through Friday and Saturday.
The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been activated across both counties, which means when the temperature is forecast to be zero degrees or less then an emergency shelter becomes available to those who need it.
At the end of December, Worcester City Council announced the government had awarded them £1.18 million for the 2025-26 financial year to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
Council leader Lynn Denham says they are continuing to work across the city to help those who need support and it's vital for it to be available when the weather is cold.
"When the weather forecast is going to be at a level of freezing overnight these emergency shelters are set-up and anyone who is rough sleeping is invited in and can go into those," she said.
"This funding (from government) is about services designed to meet local need across family and single homelessness, it isn't just rough sleeping, and this is also aimed at preventing it from happening in the first place.
"We've been doing quite a lot in Worcester to try and reduce our use of temporary accommodation because temporary accommodation is not the same as a permanent home, and this is an important priority for us as a council."
A yellow Met Office warning for snow and ice is also in place over this weekend for both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.