British Gas issues warning to customers who are using hot water bottles

James Rodger
·2-min read
The energy firm has warned customers opting to fill up hot water bottles with boiling water amid reports snowfall could hit AGAIN between November 22 and November 23.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


British Gas has issued a warning to customers who use hot water bottles as snow threatens to hit the UK. The energy firm has warned customers opting to fill up hot water bottles with boiling water amid reports snowfall could hit AGAIN between November 22 and November 23.

“With electric blankets: do not use a hot water bottle, even if the blanket's switched off. Unplug blankets before you go to bed, unless they have thermostat control for safe all-night use," British Gas has also warned UK households ahead of the snow blast.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A northerly airflow will continue to feed snow showers into Scotland over the next few days, with this reaching lower levels at times and bringing the potential for some travel disruption.

READ MORE: Sadness as body pulled from freezing lake in Birmingham park

READ MORE: What the DWP Christmas bonus should be worth in 2024 when it enters bank accounts in December

READ MORE UK households who spend £20 now can avoid £1,736 energy price cap in January

“Overnight temperatures will drop below zero fairly widely over the next few days, which has resulted in some ice warnings, with further warnings likely through this week. On Thursday, a mixture of snow, sleet and rain is likely to affect the southwest which could potentially bring disruption.

"It’s likely high ground in the area will see snow, with a mixture of conditions likely at lower levels. 2-5cm of snow is possible in places at lower levels, with around 10cm possible over higher parts of Dartmoor.” Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Mike Silverstone said: “Winter hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, though they will hold on longest in northern Scotland. Substantial snowfall is expected across much of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, mainly over higher ground.”

Mike continued: “Rain on Saturday and into Sunday is likely to be impactful for some, which has resulted in warnings being issued for Wales and parts of the southwest. Widely, 50-75 mm is expected within the warning areas, but in excess of 150 mm of rain is possible over high ground in south Wales. Strong winds are likely to exacerbate impacts and brings the potential for travel disruption as well as flooding for some.”

Latest stories

  • Woman goes to Tenerife for winter sun but holiday takes unexpected turn

    Georgia, known as @georgiasjournal on TikTok, said she "needs answers" after her recent holiday to Tenerife went drastically wrong. It was totally different to what she expected

  • I know where in landfill my missing £600m fortune is, computer expert tells court

    A father seeking to recover a lost hard drive from a landfill site containing an apparent £600 million Bitcoin fortune has told a court he knows where to look.

  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Forecasters issue yellow warning for heavy rain and wind during the weekend

    People are being advised of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris as well as from large waves at the coast.

  • Met Office map shows where snow could fall TODAY as UK braced for chilly weather

    Wintry conditions will return for some Brits

  • Met Office issues two weather warnings for Greater Manchester

    Conditions could be wild in the next few days

  • Three dead and dozens hospitalised after eating endangered sea turtle

    Turtle may have grown toxic from consuming contaminated algae

  • Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs

    Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024

  • UK tourists visiting Canary Islands issued warning over '70kmh winds'

    Yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across Spain

  • MTG was mocked for weather-control claims. Now Florida has a new bill to ban ‘weather modification’

    State senator who introduced legislation has repeated shared posts on X referencing chemtrails conspiracy theory

  • Why flooding caused so much damage at a seaside Carmarthenshire village

    An 80-page report has examined floods which happened in quick succession last winter

  • Strong winds and heavy rain set to batter Essex as 39-hour weather warning issued

    Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter Essex this week as the Met Office has issued 39-hour weather warning

  • Thick Snow Covers Homes Across Upstate New York

    Lake effect snow piled up around homes in Copenhagen, New York, on Monday, December 2.Video from X user Tom Fulmer shows snow piled up on trees, a car, and the front doorstep of a home in Copenhagen on Monday.The National Weather Service said moderate to locally heavy lake effect snow would continue through Tuesday across the western Southern Tier with significant accumulations. Credit: Tom Fulmer via Storyful

  • Floods force closure of Herefordshire road off A49

    A ROAD closure is in force for a Herefordshire road just off the A49 after it was hit by flooding.

  • Met Office issues weather alerts warning of danger to life as 80mph winds and rain to batter UK

    Forecaster warns weather could also bring travel chaos and power cuts

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • Met Office issues warning as 'strong and gusty' winds expected in Bradford

    Weather experts are warning of possible disruption as a result of "strong and gusty" winds.

  • 'Water emergency' warning on two Canary Islands popular with UK tourists

    'Water emergencies' have been extended in two holiday hotspots

  • Strong winds and heavy rain to hit the south west, Met Office warns

    Strong winds and heavy rain could cause disruption in the south west this weekend.

  • Met Office issues weather warnings for heavy rain and gusts of up to 80mph across UK

    Weather warnings have been issued across the UK for strong winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain over the next few days. A Met Office yellow warning for gusty conditions - 65-75mph in places - begins from 4pm today in north and northwest Scotland until 9am on Thursday. It covers an area of the UK from Northern Ireland, extending across parts of Scotland, north Wales, northern England, the north Midlands and East Anglia.