Dozens of emergency bed spaces will be made available in Bristol this weekend as temperatures fall below zero.
The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) was activated yesterday (January 17) by homelessness charities and the council as freezing temperatures were forecast by the Met Office.
With the cold snap set to last for the entire weekend, the protocol will remain in place until Monday, January 20.
Charity Caring in Bristol announced SWEP had been activated on social media yesterday, urging people to spread the message.
The notice posted on its Twitter page reads: "SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) activated from Friday 17 January until the morning of Monday 20 January.
"We have had confirmation from the Met Office that the temperature is forecast to be zero degrees or below in Bristol for three consecutive nights which means we are activating the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) today.
"ANYONE and EVERYONE sleeping rough will be able to access emergency shelter.
"There will be a space inside for EVERYONE sleeping rough."
How you can help
To confirm their space, Caring in Bristol is asking people sleeping rough to call the Outreach Team on 01174070330 as soon as they can.
As the majority of rough sleepers will not have a mobile phone, the charity is asking you to support them in doing this.
Weather in Bristol this weekend
It's set to get much colder across the UK, including in Bristol, this weekend with the Met Office warning that temperatures will plunge rapidly.
The weather agency has warned that today (January 18) will start off cold after temperatures dropped overnight, leading to widespread frost.
It will then be sunny but cold on Sunday (January 19) in Bristol, with temperatures as low as -1 degrees expected overnight.
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