A second homeless man has died in just two days as Britain is gripped by freezing temperatures – with icy conditions seeing cars spinning off the road and motorists abandoning vehicles.
Emergency services rushed to Bloom Street in the city’s Gay Village at 10.20am, where the man, who is believed to be homeless, was declared deceased, Greater Manchester Police said.
The cause of death is yet to be determined but the incident is not being treated as suspicious as police continue investigations.
It comes amid freezing temperatures on Sunday night in Manchester, as the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for ice and snow across the north of England, the Midlands and Scotland.
It was reported early on Sunday that another homeless man had lost his life while he sheltered away from -10C temperatures in a car in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.
Officers rushed to the scene on Bloom Street at 10.20am on Sunday morning, where a police cordon has been put in place
CUMBRIA: Walkers approach an abandoned bus on the A591 between Kendal and Windermere after freezing temperatures battered the North of England this weekend
CUMBRIA: The county was blanketed in up to 12 inches of snow but there is a warning tomorrow could be ‘ice rink Monday’
NORTHUMBERLAND: Fresh snow at Seaton Sluice as temperatures are tipped to plunge to as low as minus 11C
COUNTY DURHAM: A blanket of snow covered Sedgefield amid sub zero temperatures
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Meanwhile, in Manchester, a police cordon has been put in place on the street and officers remain at the scene today.
A man who was walking past the scene at 9am this morning said he assumed the man was asleep when he saw him lying in the doorway.
He was discovered near the Village Chippy and Roadie’s Fast Food restaurant, the MEN reported.
The incident comes as the UK has been battered by Arctic conditions with some of coldest temperatures since last year recorded, including a -12.5C in northern Scotland.
Up to 12 inches of snow descended on Cumbria, where a major incident was declared by police yesterday.
The Met Office today issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice in eastern Scotland from 5pm on Sunday to 12pm on Monday, warning that wintry showers and and snow on icy surfaces will cause delays to travellers and could result in injuries.
Snow and ice warnings are in place for the Peak District and Wales, too, and the forecaster said there could be between 0.7in and 2in of snow ‘on some roads above around 490ft, and perhaps 4in to 6in on roads above around 1,148ft.
Some people in Britain could wake up to an ice rink tomorrow as snow freezes overnight, the RAC’s spokesperson Simon Williams warned.
Motorists were told to delay or even abandon their journey with ‘treacherous’ conditions on the roads expected.
Mr Williams said: ‘We’re expecting some very treacherous icy conditions in northern parts, so those who have to drive should exercise great caution.
‘If it’s possible to delay or even abandon journeys that may well be the best option.
‘Those who decide to drive should leave extra space behind the vehicle in front, reduce their speeds to give plenty of time to stop.
The Met Office today issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice in eastern Scotland from 5pm on Sunday to 12pm on Monday, and ice for much of northern England
COUNTY DURHAM: A police has crashed into a house in Darlington after bad weather caused ice to form on the roads
COUNTY DURHAM: The police car mounted the pavement and smashed through a wall before hitting the front of the home and cracking the glass on the window
CUMBRIA: A car on the side of the A591 is blanketed in snow with the weather wreaking havoc on the area’s power supply
CUMBRIA: Candice Dawson pulls her daughter Heidi, 11, along on a sledge past abandoned cars
CUMBRIA: Scores of cars are left abandoned by motorists on the A591 after heavy snow fell
CUMBRIA: People try to help a stricken motorist who got caught up in the snowfall on the A591
PEAK DISTRICT: A car comes to a rest on its side after appearing to have skidded in the treacherous conditions
‘Before setting out, it’s important to allow more time to de-ice and de-mist vehicles thoroughly.’
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said it was utilising its 4×4 vehicles to help ‘vulnerable people stuck in the snow as required’, adding that it was assisting at reception centres.
The M6 became blocked southbound between J38 and J37 due to jackknifed lorries, Cumbria Police confirmed.
The weather is wreaking havoc on power supplies in the area with 1,500 properties plunged into darkness and left without electricity this evening.
More than 35 separate damages have been reported to the network which included ‘severe damage to miles of overhead lines’.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said unofficial reports indicated there was ‘comfortably in excess of 20cm, probably in excess of 30cm, of snow across the Windermere and Coniston area of the South Lakes and also down towards Ambleside and the far south of Cumbria’.
He said: ‘It was quite an unusual situation that led to it because it became slow moving and gave the same areas of south Cumbria hour after hour of heavy snow and that’s what led to the significant disruption there.’
The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions: the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The warning is in place until December 5, meaning ‘cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time’.