THERE are fears for elderly people as a Siberian blast hits Hampshire.

Plummeting temperatures, fierce gales and a stinging chill factor for weeks to come will put elderly people at risk, a charity has warned.

This weekend will be among the most hazardous for the elderly with winds reaching 14mph today and a chill factor dropping to minus eight degrees centigrade tonight.

There will be heavy cloud all week with rain and snow expected on Monday.

These artic conditions means Southampton will feel colder than Helsinki, Stockholm and even frosty Saint Petersburg at some points.

Don Harper, Southampton Pensioners’ Forum secretary, said: “This is much worse than it has been in recent years where we have had a few cold days – this extended period of freezing weather will see more pensioners end up in hospital and sadly more will die.”

Nigel Bolton, national forecaster with the Met Office said cold weather was coming in from Siberia. He said: “It has been very cold and inland winds can add to that. It is very unusual for cold spells to last this long – with the exception of a few days it has been cold since October.”

“The situation is made worse by the frost and fog and cloud that means there aren’t any warm spells during the day. The constant cloud and bad weather make people feel depressed and colder too.”

The chill factor also looks set to remain below zero for days to come.

Mr Harper added: “What I’m worried about most is that some older people will get a huge gas bill at the start of January and turn their heating off – that would be a disaster.”

He went on to say that winter fears and weather problems had shot to the top of the agenda at the group’s meetings and were a major concern to elderly people and the charities that support them.

Sandra Smith, Age Concern Southampton spokesman, said elderly people should wrap up in warm clothes that don’t let the wind in, have at least one hot meal a day, drink lots of hot fluids and if fuel bills are a worry pensioners should heat one room and try to live and sleep in that room.

She said: “The winter can be a difficult and dangerous time for elderly people.”