NHS issues bizarre advice to avoid slipping on ice

The NHS has told people to “walk like a penguin” to avoid slipping in icy conditions.

NHS trusts in Scotland have issued the advice to people if they venture out into the cold weather.

On Sunday, much of the UK was covered in a blanket of snow and the Met Office has issued weather warnings for ice and snow for Scotland and the North of England on Tuesday.

Scots were told to waddle like penguins to prevent them from falling over on icy pavements.

Last Thursday, the NHS Lothian trust in Scotland tweeted the animalistic advice.

It wrote: “Most of us have woken up to a lovely winter wonderland this morning.

“Our hospitals are under extreme pressure at the moment, we need your help to reduce patients presenting with injuries due to avoidable accidents in the ice and snow.

“If you need to go out, walk like a penguin.”

It tweeted a picture of instructions on how to walk like a penguin.

They read: “To walk on ice, keep your centre of gravity over your front leg.

“One animal that has figured this out is a penguin. Think of yourself as a penguin and you’ll be all right.”

Last Wednesday, another Scottish trust, NHS Tayside, issued similar advice.

It read: “Walk like a penguin! Do the penguin walk to avoid winter slips.”

The Met Office said the weekend’s snowfall should remain on the ground through Monday, but by Wednesday temperatures across the south could have jumped back up to 10C or 12C.

With the milder weather comes a greater risk of flooding, with further problems possible in southern parts by the end of the week.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: “It’s a bit of a rollercoaster from cold and wintry conditions to wet and windy ones.

“We are keeping an eye on rainfall totals because there are some areas that are very sensitive to rainfall and there is further possible flooding as we go through the second half of the week.”

The return of a warmer weather front will bring more anxiety to communities hit hard by Storm Christoph last week.