Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Lidl shoppers urged to freeze milk and meat this week

Shoppers have been urged to freeze their milk
-Credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto


Households in the UK have been urged to freeze milk and bread this week. The advice has been issued by British Gas amid a period of numerous weather warnings.

This week, two Yellow weather warnings for ice have been issued by the Met Office. These areas cover Scotland and Northern Ireland, however England has seen weather warnings in recent weeks, reports Express.co.uk.

One of those was for strong winds, with the arrival of Storm Eowyn hitting earlier this month. During periods of extreme weather, including strong winds, there is the possibility of power cuts and damage to homes and properties.

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Last week, more than 400,000 homes in the UK and Ireland went without power after the arrival of Storm Eowyn hit. And the UK is not out of the woods yet with ,with three more yellow weather warnings in place this week.

Energy firm British Gas says households should prepare for power cuts by freezing milk as well as fresh meat. Unbeknownst to many, milk can actually be frozen and stored for months before being defrosted and used.

Just be sure to fully defrost it and shake it well to ensure it hasn’t separated. In its advice for preparing for power cuts, British Gas said: "Buy appliance thermometers for both your fridge and freezer to check that they stay safe during a power cut (-18°C for freezers and 4°C for fridges).

"Freeze leftovers like milk, meat and poultry. If you find yourself without power they’ll last longer

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"Fridges and freezers will keep their cool for a surprisingly long time without power, Here are a few things you can do to help them: Keep fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible; Consolidate foods in the same drawer – they’ll keep each other cool whilst the freezer’s off; Stand meat and poultry items on a tray to stop juices dripping onto other foods if they thaw.

"Once the power’s back on, throw away anything perishable that’s been above 4°C for two hours or more. If you’re in any doubt, bin it. You can refreeze any foods that have stayed at 4°C or lower once everything’s back up and running."

The Met Office said in its weather warnings, which are in place across London, the south West, the South East and Wales until 6am on Tuesday : "A period of strong and gusty south-westerly winds is likely to affect southern parts of England and Wales through Monday and at first on Tuesday. Gusts to 60 or 70 mph are possible near the coast, with gusts of 50mph possible inland. Winds will gradually ease from the west on Tuesday morning.

"People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items."