Britain’s gas reserves are so low, they could barely keep homes warm and lights on for a week, yet another snow bomb is coming our way, threatening to cover much of Blighty in thick snow
Brits can brace for more arctic weather, while gas supplies dwindle to ‘concerningly low’ levels(Image: Getty Images)
Britain is on the brink of running out of gas with reserves so low, there’s barely a week’s worth of gas left – and there’s a new ‘Beast from the East’ coming our way, threatening to drop a snow bomb over much of Blighty.
Since January 9, gas reserves have been 26% lower than the same time last year, Euro Weekly reports, which leaves supplies around half full. Chris O’Shea from Head Centrica, which owns British Gas, said that reserves were “concerningly low”.
He added: “We are an outlier from the rest of Europe when it comes to the role of storage in our energy system and we are now seeing the implications of that. Energy storage is what keeps the lights on and homes warm when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, so investing in our storage capacity makes perfect economic sense. We need to think of storage as a very valuable insurance policy.”
Britain is about to be blasted with another bout of snowy conditions(Image: WXCharts)READ MORE: Urgent warning as ‘Ferrari of viruses’ sweeps through UK causing vomiting and diarrhoeaREAD MORE: Met Office rules on return of snow as next deep freeze just weeks away
The recent spate of icy weather saw Brits turning up the heating as temperatures dropped to below -10C, and a future bout of arctic conditions could strain supplies further.
The Met Office has warned that the UK could be covered in a thick blanket of snow, which could see temperatures plummet once again.
Despite recent warmer days, the latest outlook from WXCharts, which uses data from MetDesk, shows a mass of snow heading towards the UK from the east.
Yet national gas supplies have dropped to 26%(Image: Getty Images)
According to the maps, some areas could see up to 2cm of snow settle per hour over two days, with snow sweeping across the east coast from January 26.
Northern England looks set to see the most snow south of the border, with Newcastle, the North Pennines National Landscape, Yorkshire Dales and North Moors bracing for a heavy blanket of snow.
Despite the low levels and despite the frosty forecast, Britain’s gas suppliers are unfazed about the situation. The Mirror reports National Gas recently said that supplies are “healthy” and that the UK is “well placed” to get through winter.
The upcoming wintery conditions could strain gas reserves further(Image: Getty Images)
A spokesperson for National Gas commented: “The overall picture across Great Britain’s eight main gas storage sites remains healthy.
“Britain obtains its gas from a diverse range of sources beyond that already in storage, meaning we are well placed to respond to demand this winter.”
The UK has one of the smallest gas stores in Europe, with capacity for just 12 average days or 7.5 peak winter days.