Some train companies have cancelled services and the NHS has issued a cold weather alert as the first of the much-anticipated snow dusted England’s east coast and forecasters warned of worse to come.

A Siberian weather system nicknamed the “beast from the east” is already predicted to bring widespread wintry conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Forecasters say more snow and gales could arrive from the west later in the week when Storm Emma is due to collide with cold air over the UK.

Met Office (@metoffice) The Portuguese met service @ipma_pt have named #StormEmma, bringing strong winds to the Portuguese coast on Wednesday. Emma may then bring strong winds and heavy snow to parts of the UK during Thursday and Friday pic.twitter.com/1pU1ApgHr7

The Met Office has issued amber “be prepared” warnings for north-east, central and southern England on Tuesday, as the first snow began to settle on Monday morning. Yellow “be aware” warnings for snow were in place for the eastern side of England and Scotland with up to 20cm of snow forecast by midweek.

More amber warnings could be imposed on Thursday and Friday. A Met Office spokeswoman said: “Once it crosses Portugal, Storm Emma will track up north across Europe and bring some wind and snow to the UK. It could potentially bring widespread snow and gale force winds to the south.

“This weather front will butt up against the cold weather that is covering the UK at the moment. That’s what’s leading to the potential for heavy snow as well as the strong winds which are coming with the system. At the moment the snow risk is worst in the east of the country. This will impact more from the south-west.”

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The initial warnings alone were enough for Greater Anglia to cancel dozens of branch line services in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex as the first snow fell.

It warned of delays on main lines and more cancellations at short notice. Southeastern urged passengers to finish their journeys before 6pm on Monday to avoid potential disruption, and the train operator C2C said services after 9pm on Monday could be altered or cancelled.



Anthony Smith, the chief executive of Transport Focus, suggested train companies had been too quick to cancel services. He said: “Blanket suspensions of service on various routes is worrying and the industry needs to better communicate why such drastic action is necessary. A careful balance is needed between caution and the railway’s duty to get passengers where they need to go, particularly at times when travel by road may be tricky.”

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that three standby battalions would be on hand to respond to weather-related emergencies. “We have the right people, with the right training and the right equipment to help deal with any contingency,” a spokesman said.

Troops in Italy have already been deployed to help clear the streets in the Rome, after rare snowfall caused school closures and transport disruption.

NHS England issued a level 3 cold weather alert, one notch below a crisis level. It urged the public to check in on elderly neighbours and relatives during what is forecast to be the coldest February week for five years.

NHS Choices (@NHSChoices) It's important to make sure older neighbours and relatives are ok during winter. Popping in can make the world of difference to how they're feeling. More information here: https://t.co/4RpvABlNYh pic.twitter.com/B9Ma1kw7MW

The Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital specialists in acute medicine, said it was worried about the NHS’s ability to cope with the impact of the cold snap.

Dr Nick Scriven, the society’s president, said influenza admissions were already 11% higher than last week. “The onset of a spell of extremely cold weather is of great concern for acute medical units who are already struggling with the widely reported stresses of this winter.

“Daily temperatures below the normal ambient level increase illness and hospital admission rates for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, particularly among those aged 65 and over.”

The energy company United Utilities urged customers to ensure their pipes were lagged and their central heating on to avoid frozen and burst pipes.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said emergency shelters would stay open for the rest of the week to ensure people sleeping rough had somewhere warm to stay.